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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 · press · spell · safe · perch · rock · wound · tear

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. spell — a short time
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. tear — to rip
  9. rock — music
  10. press — a publisher
  11. pitch — completely
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. press — to push
  14. rock — a stone
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. wound — an injury
  18. tear — from crying
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. spell — magic
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. press — newspapers

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