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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: fork · ruler · cell · bank · march · wave

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. march — the month
  4. bank — for money
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — a phone
  10. fork — in a road
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bank — for money
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bank — of a river
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. march — the month
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. ruler — for measuring

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