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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: suit · stock · pound · cold · wound · band · cue · spell

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. spell — a short time
  3. stock — goods
  4. cold — not warm
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cue — for pool
  7. stock — shares
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cold — an illness
  10. band — a music group
  11. spell — magic
  12. band — a ring
  13. spell — letters
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. suit — clothes
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. cue — a signal
  23. suit — to fit
  24. pound — a weight

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