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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bank — for money
  4. lean — thin
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. lean — to bend
  7. march — the month
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. chip — for betting
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bank — for money
  12. content — the amount
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. march — the month
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bass — low music
  20. content — happy
  21. squash — the sport
  22. march — music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. cell — in a prison

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