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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: bank · club · trunk · rush · degree · rash · mouse · cold

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bank — for money
  4. club — a group
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rash — a series
  9. bank — of a river
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bank — for money
  14. club — for golf
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. degree — from a university
  21. cold — an illness
  22. degree — an amount
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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