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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: wave · pitcher · tube · nail · court · tear · clip · leaves

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. tear — from crying
  5. court — for sport
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tear — from crying
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. clip — a video
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. court — of law
  14. court — of a king
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. tear — to rip

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