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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: bank · face · march · band · bound · dip · cue · pop

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bound — obliged
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. face — to confront
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bank — for money
  7. pop — soda
  8. bank — for money
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cue — for pool
  12. band — a ring
  13. march — music
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bound — tied together
  17. march — the month
  18. cue — a signal
  19. band — a music group
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pop — music
  22. bound — certain
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. face — part of the head

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