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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: wax · mark · press · pitch · pitcher · spell · track · calf

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. spell — a short time
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. press — a publisher
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. track — a song
  13. track — to keep track
  14. spell — magic
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mark — a grade
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. track — a path
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. press — newspapers
  23. spell — letters
  24. pitcher — a jug

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