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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: lean · field · wave · firm · rush · pass · tear · squash

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. tear — to rip
  5. firm — decided
  6. rush — hurry
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. field — a subject
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. lean — to bend
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. firm — steady
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. squash — the sport
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. squash — to crush
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. firm — a company

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