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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bound · spell · cell · bank · cue · drill · pound · pitcher

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. cue — a hint
  3. drill — army training
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bank — for money
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bound — certain
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bank — of a river
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bank — for money
  15. cell — a phone
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — obliged
  18. spell — magic
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. spell — a short time

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