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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: pitch · cap · bark · tear · object · rush · lean · track

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. object — to protest
  3. pitch — completely
  4. object — an aim
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. cap — a lid
  7. track — a path
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bark — to shout
  11. object — a thing
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. lean — thin
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. track — a song
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. lean — to bend

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