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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cell — in biology
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mine — for digging
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bass — low music
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. charge — a price
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bass — the fish
  11. charge — in control
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bank — for money
  14. charge — electricity
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wound — an injury
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bank — of a river
  24. ruler — a monarch

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