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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: suit · bark · pitch · saw · mate · pound · spring · press

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. suit — in cards
  3. press — newspapers
  4. suit — to fit
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. press — to push
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a friend
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pitch — completely
  21. press — a publisher
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — a weight
  24. suit — clothes

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