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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: cabinet · swing · race · march · bound · lie · rush · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. swing — in golf
  4. march — music
  5. race — a contest
  6. bound — obliged
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bound — tied together
  9. swing — to play on
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. race — humankind
  13. march — the month
  14. swing — music
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bound — certain
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rush — hurry
  22. march — the month
  23. bank — of a river
  24. cabinet — ministers

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