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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: fall · staff · rush · bank · hand · mug · kick · cold

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. fall — to drop
  3. staff — employees
  4. bank — for money
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. kick — in football
  7. bank — of a river
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cold — not warm
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. mug — to rob
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bank — for money
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. mug — a face
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. fall — the season
  21. mug — a cup
  22. hand — help
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. staff — employees

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