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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 116 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: bass · tube · wind · firm · content · pitch · row · stand

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. row — a line
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bass — low music
  7. firm — a company
  8. content — happy
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. firm — decided
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bass — the fish
  14. firm — steady
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. tube — a container
  17. row — to paddle
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. pitch — completely
  22. content — the amount
  23. tube — the underground
  24. wind — moving air

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