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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: spring · cue · bank · stand · rule · pound · rest · wake

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. rest — a break
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. spring — of water
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. stand — to bear
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bank — for money
  9. cue — a signal
  10. rule — government
  11. spring — the season
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bank — for money
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. cue — a hint
  17. bank — of a river
  18. rule — a law
  19. pound — a weight
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rest — what's left
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. stand — on your feet

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