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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: fall · pitcher · lash · bank · present · band · cell · cap

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. present — the time now
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bank — for money
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cap — a hat
  9. present — there
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. band — a music group
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. present — a gift
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bank — of a river
  19. band — a ring
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cell — a phone
  24. fall — the season

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