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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 116 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 · game · wind · can · plane · mine · tube · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. tube — a container
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mine — for digging
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. plane — a tool
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. game — a match
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. pitch — completely
  16. tube — the underground
  17. wind — moving air
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — thin
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. can — a tin
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. game — wild animals

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