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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: track · rush · wind · content · drill · swing · pass · stem

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. track — a song
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. drill — the tool
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. track — to keep track
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. stem — to come from
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. drill — army training
  15. content — happy
  16. swing — to play on
  17. wind — moving air
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. track — a path
  21. drill — a practice
  22. content — the amount
  23. rush — hurry
  24. stem — a stem cell

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