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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: march · toast · bank · cue · row · wound · tear · stand

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. toast — bread
  3. row — a line
  4. stand — to bear
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bank — for money
  8. march — the month
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. cue — a hint
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bank — of a river
  13. wound — an injury
  14. tear — from crying
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. cue — a signal
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. march — the month
  19. cue — for pool
  20. tear — to rip
  21. wound — an injury
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. bank — for money
  24. row — a quarrel

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