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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: pop · mate · plane · pass · lean · field · club · rush

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — a friend
  3. lean — to bend
  4. club — a group
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. plane — a tool
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. lean — thin
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. field — farmland
  12. club — for golf
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. pop — soda
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pop — music
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. mate — to breed
  21. club — for dancing
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pop — to visit

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