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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: cold · spring · firm · bank · mark · rush · mug · branch

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. firm — a company
  3. cold — an illness
  4. bank — for money
  5. cold — not warm
  6. spring — of water
  7. firm — decided
  8. mark — a grade
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. firm — steady
  11. mug — a cup
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — a division
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bank — for money
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bank — of a river
  18. mark — a trace
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. spring — the season
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mug — a face

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