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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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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: pound · cell · march · rash · season · deal · stand · current

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. current — of water
  5. stand — to bear
  6. current — electric
  7. pound — a weight
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. march — the month
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. season — in sport
  16. march — the month
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. march — music
  22. rash — a series
  23. current — happening now
  24. cell — a phone

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