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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 116 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 · rest · prune · sharp · staff · pass · stock · pitcher

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. rest — what's left
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pass — a permit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cell — in biology
  10. staff — a stick
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. cell — a phone
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. staff — employees
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rest — a break
  18. staff — employees
  19. stock — shares
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. sharp — clever

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