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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pop · wave · trunk · swing · saw · face · pitch · drill

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. saw — the tool
  4. face — to confront
  5. pop — to visit
  6. face — part of the head
  7. drill — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. swing — in golf
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. drill — a practice
  12. face — to point toward
  13. saw — the tool
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. pitch — completely
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. swing — music
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. drill — army training
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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