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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 116 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: fine · cue · mug · wound · charge · march · stock · band

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. stock — goods
  6. band — a ring
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — a cup
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cue — a hint
  11. stock — shares
  12. charge — a price
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. march — the month
  15. cue — for pool
  16. charge — in control
  17. wound — an injury
  18. charge — electricity
  19. fine — all right
  20. wound — an injury
  21. mug — to rob
  22. fine — high quality
  23. band — a music group
  24. fine — a penalty

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