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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 116 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 · deal · hand · degree · mate · stock · cabinet

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. mate — a friend
  3. hand — help
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — to breed
  6. deal — to handle
  7. degree — temperature
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bank — for money
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. hand — in cards
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bank — of a river
  16. stock — shares
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. stock — goods
  19. degree — an amount
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. degree — from a university
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. rush — to hurry

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