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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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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: track · chair · cell · bank · drill · fine · lash · content

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. bank — of a river
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. track — a song
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bank — for money
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — a practice
  13. content — happy
  14. fine — all right
  15. cell — in biology
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. cell — a phone
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bank — for money
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — videos and posts

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