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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: scale · pop · patient · pitch · wound · tube · prune · dip

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. prune — to trim
  4. dip — to sink
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. wound — an injury
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. tube — the underground
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — to visit
  16. tube — a container
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pitch — completely

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