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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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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: stand · squash · tear · press · capital · pitch · wave · can

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  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. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. can — to be able to
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. squash — to crush
  7. press — newspapers
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. press — a publisher
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. tear — from crying
  15. press — to push
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. pitch — completely
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. capital — a city
  20. squash — the sport
  21. stand — to bear
  22. capital — money
  23. wave — with your hand
  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