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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: lean · race · pass · bass · face · degree · stand · pop

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bass — low music
  3. face — to point toward
  4. pop — to visit
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pop — music
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — humankind
  11. bass — the fish
  12. stand — to bear
  13. lean — thin
  14. degree — temperature
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pass — a permit
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — from a university
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pop — soda

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