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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: rash · roll · bank · nail · branch · club · kid · cold

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. club — a group
  7. roll — a cake
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bank — of a river
  11. kid — child
  12. club — for golf
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bank — for money
  16. rash — a series
  17. roll — a list
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bank — for money
  20. club — for dancing
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. branch — a division
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — hasty

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