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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: cue · pound · cell · current · march · saw · net · bank

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. march — music
  4. net — in sport
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bank — of a river
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bank — for money
  10. march — the month
  11. current — electric
  12. cue — a signal
  13. net — after costs
  14. cue — for pool
  15. net — for catching
  16. bank — for money
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. current — happening now
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cell — in biology
  22. march — the month
  23. current — of water
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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