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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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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: craft · pop · pound · club · tube · nail · pitch · clip

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. club — for dancing
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. club — a group
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. pop — soda
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pop — music
  11. craft — boats
  12. pop — to visit
  13. club — for golf
  14. pitch — completely
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. clip — a video
  17. tube — a container
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. clip — for paper
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. craft — a skill
  22. pound — a weight
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. clip — to cut

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