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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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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: band · bank · cell · game · drill · content · face · ruler

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. drill — army training
  4. bank — for money
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. content — happy
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. band — a ring
  11. cell — in biology
  12. drill — the tool
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. band — a music group
  15. content — the amount
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bank — for money
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. face — to confront
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bank — of a river

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