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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. swing — to play on
  5. rule — a law
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. craft — a skill
  8. swing — in golf
  9. cold — an illness
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rule — government
  12. object — to protest
  13. swing — music
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. band — a music group
  17. object — an aim
  18. craft — boats
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. bank — for money
  22. band — a ring
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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