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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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468
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: fall · cell · bank · drill · jam · land · rush · wave

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. drill — the tool
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. land — ground
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. fall — the season
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. cell — a phone
  12. fall — to drop
  13. land — a country
  14. drill — army training
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. land — to come down
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bank — for money
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. drill — a practice
  24. wave — of the sea

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