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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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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: board · clip · object · rash · bank · fall · rush · degree

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. object — a thing
  4. board — a committee
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bank — for money
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. bank — of a river
  10. degree — from a university
  11. bank — for money
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. object — to protest
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. fall — to drop
  16. board — to get on
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — to cut
  19. degree — temperature
  20. fall — the season
  21. degree — an amount
  22. fall — to drop
  23. clip — a video
  24. object — an aim

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