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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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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: wake · pound · fall · craft · lash · spell · press · pitch

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. fall — to drop
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pound — a weight
  8. craft — boats
  9. fall — the season
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. craft — a skill
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — magic
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. press — newspapers
  18. spell — a short time
  19. wake — a trail
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. pitch — completely
  23. press — to push
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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