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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: tube · land · bulb · clip · pitcher · content · safe · kick

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bulb — for light
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — in football
  8. clip — for paper
  9. tube — a container
  10. bulb — for light
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. land — a country
  18. tube — the underground
  19. clip — a video
  20. clip — to cut
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — happy
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. content — videos and posts

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