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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: rush · bank · wound · object · fall · charge · squash · fan

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. fall — to drop
  3. squash — to crush
  4. object — to protest
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bank — for money
  7. fall — the season
  8. object — an aim
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fall — to drop
  11. charge — electricity
  12. wound — an injury
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. charge — in control
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. charge — a price
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — the sport

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