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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 120 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: hide · fall · hand · rock · march · bank · sharp · rush

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bank — for money
  4. march — the month
  5. hand — help
  6. rock — music
  7. fall — to drop
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. fall — to drop
  14. sharp — clever
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. march — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bank — of a river
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. fall — the season
  23. march — the month
  24. hand — in cards

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