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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: wound · mark · stand · band · file · fork · nail · cue

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. cue — a signal
  3. band — a ring
  4. cue — a hint
  5. file — a document
  6. wound — an injury
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. file — a line of people
  10. band — a music group
  11. stand — to bear
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. cue — for pool
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. file — a tool
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mark — a trace
  20. wound — an injury
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. fork — to eat with

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