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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: pitcher · wind · chest · pop · tube · present · pitch · bulb

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bulb — for light
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pop — soda
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. chest — a box
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bulb — for light
  15. tube — a container
  16. pop — music
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. tube — the underground
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — there
  23. pitch — completely
  24. wind — to turn a key

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