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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: row · cabinet · bank · degree · rush · branch · kick · object

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. rush — hurry
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bank — for money
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. degree — temperature
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. object — to protest
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. row — to paddle
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bank — of a river
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bank — for money
  18. degree — an amount
  19. row — a line
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — a division
  22. object — an aim
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — with a leg

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