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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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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: ruler · cell · cold · bass · content · fan · bank · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — an illness
  4. content — the amount
  5. bank — for money
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cold — not warm
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bank — for money
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. last — finally
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bass — the fish
  20. cell — a phone
  21. content — happy
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bass — low music
  24. last — final

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