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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: can · cell · game · bank · march · hide · fine · wave

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. can — a tin
  4. bank — for money
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. march — the month
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. bank — for money
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bank — of a river
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. march — the month
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. can — a tin
  19. march — music
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. game — a match
  23. cell — in biology
  24. can — to be able to

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