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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 · bound · key · bat · cold · rush · nail · branch

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bat — the animal
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bound — tied together
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. key — for a lock
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bound — obliged
  12. key — the most important part
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. key — in music
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bound — certain
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cold — not warm
  24. branch — a division

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