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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 120 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.

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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 · tube · safe · face · straw · bulb · snap · plane

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. tube — a container
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. face — to point toward
  10. tear — from crying
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. face — part of the head
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. tear — to rip
  17. snap — to click
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bulb — for light

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