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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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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: kick · present · tube · wound · wake · bear · swing · pitch

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. swing — music
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. present — the time now
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. present — there
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. kick — in football
  14. swing — in golf
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wake — a trail
  18. pitch — completely
  19. present — a gift
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. tube — a container
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. swing — to play on

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