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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: mouse · current · wake · pitch · spring · tube · ball · tear

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. tear — from crying
  6. current — electric
  7. wake — a trail
  8. ball — a dance
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. tear — to rip
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. spring — of water
  15. tear — from crying
  16. spring — a coil
  17. tube — the underground
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. current — of water
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. current — happening now
  23. spring — the season
  24. pitch — completely

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