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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: safe · bank · straw · date · tube · clip · can · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. spell — a short time
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bank — of a river
  8. tube — a container
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bank — for money
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. date — the fruit
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. can — a tin
  18. spell — magic
  19. tube — the underground
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bank — for money
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com