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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 · mark · degree · row · bass · object · hide · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — in biology
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bank — for money
  6. object — to protest
  7. row — a line
  8. degree — from a university
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cell — a phone
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bank — for money
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bank — of a river
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mark — a grade
  17. object — a thing
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. degree — temperature
  20. object — an aim
  21. bass — low music
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bass — the instrument

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