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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
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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: date · pass · clip · tear · rush · kid · tube · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. pass — a permit
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rush — hurry
  6. tube — the underground
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. tube — a container
  9. tear — from crying
  10. clip — a video
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. clip — for paper
  15. kid — child
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. tear — to rip
  20. date — the fruit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. clip — to cut
  24. kid — to tease

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