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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: pitch · temple · snap · tube · date · clip · leaves · wake

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. date — the fruit
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. clip — a video
  11. clip — to cut
  12. pitch — completely
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. tube — the underground
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. snap — to click
  24. leaves — of a tree

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