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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · chair · tube · hide · bank · cold · bound · rush

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bound — tied together
  3. rush — hurry
  4. bank — for money
  5. present — a gift
  6. tube — the underground
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — certain
  10. bank — of a river
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. present — the time now
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. chair — a leader
  16. tube — a container
  17. present — there
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. bank — for money
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cold — an illness
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. cold — the Cold War

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