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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.

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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: tube · tear · net · clip · bulb · stand · pass · deal

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bulb — for light
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. net — in sport
  5. net — after costs
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bulb — for light
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. tear — to rip
  13. pass — a permit
  14. tube — a container
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. net — for catching
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. deal — to handle
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. stand — to bear
  24. tear — from crying

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