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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: wound · root · pitch · press · rush · face · pound · tube

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. wound — an injury
  4. root — the cause
  5. tube — the underground
  6. face — to confront
  7. pitch — completely
  8. rush — hurry
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. root — of a word
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. root — of a plant
  15. face — part of the head
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. tube — a container
  24. pound — a weight

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