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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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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: bank · shower · fine · chair · rock · fall · saw · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. fall — the season
  3. fine — all right
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rock — a stone
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rock — music
  9. bank — for money
  10. fall — to drop
  11. shower — rain
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bank — of a river
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bank — for money
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. cell — in biology
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fine — high quality
  23. chair — a leader
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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