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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. stem — to come from
  4. firm — steady
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. rock — music
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bass — low music
  10. lean — thin
  11. pass — a permit
  12. firm — a company
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. firm — decided
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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