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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: hide · swing · capital · spring · pitch · can · stand · tube

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — music
  5. can — to be able to
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a city
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — to bear
  10. tube — a container
  11. can — a tin
  12. swing — to play on
  13. tube — the underground
  14. can — a tin
  15. spring — the season
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. spring — of water
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pitch — completely
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stand — on your feet

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