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

Word bank: lean · bank · rest · stick · cell · sharp · bass · pass

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bank — for money
  4. cell — in biology
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rest — a break
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cell — a phone
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bass — low music
  14. lean — thin
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bank — for money
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pass — a permit
  21. lean — to bend
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. pass — to spend time

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