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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: mark · bank · saw · pop · capital · pitch · tube · row

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bank — for money
  4. pop — music
  5. row — a line
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bank — for money
  9. capital — a city
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pitch — completely
  14. tube — a container
  15. bank — of a river
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — money
  18. mark — a trace
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pop — soda
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. tube — the underground
  23. row — to paddle
  24. saw — the tool

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