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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: staff · bowl · drill · bank · mark · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — a stick
  7. drill — army training
  8. bank — for money
  9. staff — employees
  10. drill — a practice
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a trace

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