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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 116 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
468
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: tear · racket · spell · clip · mark · press · tube · safe

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mark — a trace
  4. mark — a grade
  5. clip — a video
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. clip — to cut
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. spell — magic
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. tube — a container
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. press — a publisher
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. tube — the underground
  19. spell — letters
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. clip — for paper
  22. spell — a short time
  23. press — newspapers
  24. tear — from crying

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