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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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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 · swing · prune · trunk · mark · pitch · snap · wound

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. tube — a container
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. prune — to trim
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mark — a grade
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pitch — completely
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. tube — the underground
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to click
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — to play on
  24. prune — the fruit

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