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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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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: rush · rule · bank · net · bound · branch · pitcher · content

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rush — hurry
  3. branch — a division
  4. bank — of a river
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. net — after costs
  7. rule — government
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bound — certain
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. content — the amount
  12. rule — a law
  13. net — for catching
  14. content — happy
  15. bound — obliged
  16. net — in sport
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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