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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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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 · march · band · rock · mark · stem · firm · cold

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. firm — a company
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. cue — a signal
  5. band — a ring
  6. firm — decided
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. march — the month
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. march — music
  12. rock — music
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. firm — steady
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. cue — a hint
  17. rock — a stone
  18. mark — a trace
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. march — the month
  21. stem — to come from
  22. mark — a grade
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. cue — for pool

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