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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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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: trunk · cue · wave · tube · wound · pitch · bear · clip

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. cue — a signal
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cue — a hint
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bear — the animal
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pitch — completely
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. clip — a video
  24. bear — the animal

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