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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 116 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: wind · pitch · wake · firm · clip · tube · bear · fine

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. firm — steady
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. wind — moving air
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. tube — a container
  12. firm — a company
  13. pitch — completely
  14. clip — to cut
  15. clip — a video
  16. firm — decided
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bear — the animal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. fine — all right
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wind — moving air

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