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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 120 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 · drill · bank · rule · stock · pitcher · rest · band

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. band — a music group
  3. drill — a practice
  4. rule — a law
  5. rest — what's left
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. stock — shares
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bank — for money
  11. rule — government
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. band — a ring
  16. stock — goods
  17. drill — army training
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. cell — a phone
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. drill — the tool

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