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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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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 · fan · hand · tube · lean · scale · stand · fall

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. fall — the season
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. fall — to drop
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — the underground
  13. hand — help
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. pitch — completely
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. scale — in music
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stand — to bear
  24. tube — in a tire

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