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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: fall · rush · mark · degree · bank · nail · chair · spring

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. rush — hurry
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bank — for money
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bank — of a river
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fall — to drop
  14. spring — of water
  15. mark — a trace
  16. spring — the season
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — an amount
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fall — the season
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bank — for money

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