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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: pound · pitch · track · press · lash · spell · bear · wound

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  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 — a sales talk
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. press — a publisher
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a path
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. wound — an injury
  12. press — to push
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. track — a song
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pound — a weight
  22. spell — letters
  23. pound — to hit hard
  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