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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: fan · sharp · scale · stock · march · bank · cell · jam

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cell — in biology
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. march — the month
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stock — goods
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. bank — of a river
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. stock — shares
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bank — for money
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. sharp — clever
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. scale — in music

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