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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: pass · bound · clip · bass · chip · cell · prune · rush

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. prune — to trim
  3. clip — a video
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — obliged
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bound — certain
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bass — low music
  12. prune — to trim
  13. clip — to cut
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pass — a permit
  20. chip — to eat
  21. clip — for paper
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. chip — for betting

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