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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 124 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bank — for money
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bank — of a river
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. drill — a practice
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. field — a subject
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. field — for sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bank — for money
  19. cell — in biology
  20. drill — the tool
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. field — farmland
  23. drill — army training
  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