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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: wake · mark · cell · bank · chip · mug · bore · row

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. mug — a cup
  3. chip — to eat
  4. mug — a face
  5. chip — for betting
  6. mark — a grade
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bore — to tire
  21. row — a line
  22. mark — a trace
  23. cell — in biology
  24. chip — in a computer

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