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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 120 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: press · pitch · pit · pound · spring · bulb · rash · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. bulb — for light
  3. press — a publisher
  4. spring — of water
  5. rash — hasty
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. spring — the season
  10. pit — a hole
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pound — a weight
  14. cap — a lid
  15. rash — a series
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. press — to push
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. press — newspapers
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cap — a hat

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