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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: swing · rock · pitch · wind · clip · stem · tube · mark

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. rock — music
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. clip — to cut
  7. tube — a container
  8. rock — a stone
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. mark — a grade
  12. clip — a video
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. swing — in golf
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. pitch — completely
  18. swing — music
  19. clip — for paper
  20. wind — moving air
  21. swing — to play on
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. stem — to come from
  24. tube — the underground

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