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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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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 · last · bass · pass · prune · club · kick · current

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. prune — to trim
  3. last — finally
  4. pass — a permit
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. last — to go on
  7. club — for golf
  8. current — happening now
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. cell — a phone
  12. club — for dancing
  13. current — of water
  14. cell — in biology
  15. kick — in football
  16. current — electric
  17. club — a group
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bass — the fish
  22. last — final
  23. bass — low music
  24. kick — with a leg

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