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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: hide · wind · bark · pitch · wake · fall · press · land

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  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. fall — the season
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. land — a country
  5. wind — moving air
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. wake — a trail
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — a publisher
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pitch — completely
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. press — to push
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fall — to drop
  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