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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: cell · spell · file · rule · march · bank · cue · wound

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. bank — for money
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cell — a phone
  5. file — a document
  6. march — the month
  7. rule — a law
  8. file — a tool
  9. march — music
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bank — for money
  12. cue — for pool
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bank — of a river
  15. spell — a short time
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cell — in biology
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. march — the month
  21. rule — government
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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