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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: clip · trunk · pound · tube · leaves · rash · ball · pitch

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — a weight
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. tube — a container
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. pitch — completely
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. ball — a dance
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. clip — for paper
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. ball — a great time
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. clip — to cut
  23. rash — a series
  24. clip — a video

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