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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: pass · rash · wake · patient · ground · swing · tear · stick

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. ground — a position
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. swing — to play on
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. swing — music
  10. tear — from crying
  11. ground — the earth
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. swing — in golf
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. ground — crushed
  24. pass — a permit

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