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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 · firm · stem · pound · march · bank · cell · wake

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. firm — a company
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. march — the month
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bank — for money
  8. cell — a phone
  9. wound — an injury
  10. firm — decided
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bank — of a river
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. cell — in biology
  15. march — music
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bank — for money
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stem — to come from
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. firm — steady
  23. march — the month
  24. wake — before a funeral

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