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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: wound · bank · snap · hide · cue · stand · march · charge

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bank — for money
  5. charge — electricity
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. march — the month
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bank — for money
  14. snap — to click
  15. charge — a price
  16. march — music
  17. bank — of a river
  18. stand — to bear
  19. cue — a signal
  20. charge — in control
  21. march — the month
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. hide — to keep secret

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