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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · present · wind · track · pitch · clip · saw · pop

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. clip — for paper
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pitch — completely
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. track — a song
  7. pop — music
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pop — to visit
  10. saw — the tool
  11. tube — the underground
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pop — soda
  15. clip — to cut
  16. present — there
  17. present — a gift
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. track — a path
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. present — the time now
  22. clip — a video
  23. wind — moving air
  24. tube — a container

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