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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 116 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: bank · cell · march · wave · bowl · lie · drill · capital

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. march — music
  3. cell — in biology
  4. capital — a city
  5. bank — of a river
  6. march — the month
  7. bank — for money
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. drill — army training
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. capital — money
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bank — for money
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. drill — the tool
  24. march — the month

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