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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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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: fork · march · rush · fall · race · chest · stand · bank

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — humankind
  4. bank — for money
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. race — a contest
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. march — music
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chest — a box
  15. march — the month
  16. rush — hurry
  17. fall — the season
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. march — the month
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — of a river

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