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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 · lean · bass · wind · mate · kid · drill · rush

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. lean — thin
  3. bass — the fish
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bass — low music
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. rush — hurry
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. drill — army training
  12. kid — child
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pass — a permit
  16. kid — to tease
  17. mate — to breed
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. lean — to bend

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