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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: degree · tear · pop · calf · pitch · wound · press · tube

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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. pitch — completely
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. degree — from a university
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. pop — music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. tube — the underground
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. degree — temperature
  13. tube — a container
  14. pop — to visit
  15. tear — to rip
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wound — an injury
  18. degree — an amount
  19. press — to push
  20. pop — soda
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  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