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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: pitch · press · content · rock · field · prune · wave · arm

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. prune — to trim
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. field — farmland
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. rock — music
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. content — happy
  14. press — to push
  15. field — for sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rock — a stone
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pitch — completely
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. press — a publisher

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