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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: cell · firm · rock · tear · stick · spell · sharp · lean

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — music
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. firm — steady
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to bend
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. firm — a company
  11. spell — a short time
  12. tear — from crying
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. tear — from crying
  15. firm — decided
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. spell — magic
  19. tear — to rip
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. spell — letters

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