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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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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: bank · march · wound · track · vault · pop · cue · net

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bank — of a river
  3. track — a path
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. track — a song
  6. cue — a signal
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. pop — music
  9. net — in sport
  10. march — the month
  11. cue — a hint
  12. pop — soda
  13. march — music
  14. net — for catching
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bank — for money
  17. track — to keep track
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. cue — for pool
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bank — for money
  22. vault — a safe
  23. march — the month
  24. net — after costs

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