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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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468
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: pit · staff · cell · net · fine · lean · wake · bank

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pit — a hole
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. staff — employees
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. net — after costs
  9. cell — in biology
  10. lean — to bend
  11. staff — a stick
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — a phone
  17. fine — all right
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. bank — for money
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — a trail
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to rest against

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