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

Word bank: cell · bank · march · clip · can · ruler

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. clip — a video
  3. march — the month
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. bank — of a river
  6. can — a tin
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. clip — to cut
  9. march — the month
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cell — a phone
  12. march — music
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bank — for money
  16. cell — in biology
  17. clip — for paper
  18. can — a tin

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