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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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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: rule · patient · tube · pop · pitch · stick · ground · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pop — soda
  5. rule — a law
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pop — music
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. clip — for paper
  13. rule — government
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. ground — a position
  16. tube — a container
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. clip — a video
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. tube — the underground
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pop — to visit

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