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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 116 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: bulb · pitch · kid · wake · land · rock · press · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. land — to come down
  3. rock — music
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wake — a trail
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. land — ground
  12. press — to push
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. press — newspapers
  17. track — a song
  18. kid — child
  19. land — a country
  20. press — a publisher
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. kid — to tease

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