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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: pass · band · mouse · pound · cell · rash · court · stem

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. rash — a series
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. cell — in biology
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. court — of law
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. court — for sport
  15. cell — a phone
  16. band — a ring
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. court — of a king
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pound — a weight
  23. rash — hasty
  24. band — a music group

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