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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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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: pitch · tear · trunk · rest · band · kid · arm · plane

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. tear — to rip
  3. band — a ring
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. band — a music group
  9. tear — from crying
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — to tease
  15. rest — a break
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pitch — completely
  20. rest — what's left
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. tear — from crying
  24. band — a rubber band

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