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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: board · pitcher · capital · bank · rush · rash · hide · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — a city
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bank — for money
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. board — a committee
  17. capital — money
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rash — a series
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. rest — what's left
  24. hide — to keep secret

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