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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: tube · season · spring · pitch · swing · fall · craft · race

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. fall — to drop
  4. tube — a container
  5. spring — the season
  6. tube — the underground
  7. craft — a skill
  8. swing — in golf
  9. season — of the year
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — the arms race
  12. spring — a coil
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. season — in sport
  15. swing — to play on
  16. spring — of water
  17. fall — the season
  18. craft — boats
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. fall — to drop
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. race — humankind
  24. swing — music

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