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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: bank · net · cell · dip · tear · game · fine · band

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. bank — of a river
  4. band — a music group
  5. tear — from crying
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. cell — a phone
  8. net — after costs
  9. game — a match
  10. tear — to rip
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a ring
  13. cell — in biology
  14. net — in sport
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. fine — all right
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fine — high quality
  21. game — wild animals
  22. net — for catching
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. dip — to sink

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