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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: degree · nail · charge · bank · wind · jam · rash · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bank — of a river
  5. degree — an amount
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — a price
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. wind — moving air
  10. charge — electricity
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. degree — from a university
  13. rash — a series
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. degree — temperature
  16. bank — for money
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. bank — for money
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rash — hasty

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