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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: rush · march · rash · key · bank · cabinet · cold · object

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bank — for money
  3. march — music
  4. key — the most important part
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. object — to protest
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. key — for a lock
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. key — in music
  12. object — a thing
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. march — the month
  16. rash — a series
  17. rush — hurry
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. march — the month
  20. bank — of a river
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cold — an illness
  23. object — an aim
  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