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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 116 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: content · stick · rush · squash · hide · leaves · tear · pass

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. rush — hurry
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. squash — the sport
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pass — a permit
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. content — happy
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. leaves — of a tree

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