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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 120 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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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: trunk · tear · fall · pound · cap · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cap — a hat
  5. pound — a weight
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. fall — the season
  8. pitch — completely
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. fall — to drop
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cap — a lid
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. cap — of ice
  18. trunk — of a tree

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