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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 · object · kid · clip · deal · wake · straw · sharp

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wake — a trail
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. tube — the underground
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. clip — for paper
  8. tube — a container
  9. deal — to handle
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. kid — to tease
  12. clip — a video
  13. object — a thing
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — to protest
  17. kid — child
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. clip — to cut
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. sharp — clever
  24. tube — in a tire

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