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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
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: clip · tube · cold · date · rush · saw · wake · bay

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. clip — to cut
  3. cold — an illness
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. date — the fruit
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. clip — for paper
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. saw — the tool
  12. clip — a video
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wake — a trail
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cold — not warm
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — hurry
  24. date — on the calendar

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