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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: key · staff · cold · clip · bank · squash · rock · firm

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. staff — employees
  4. firm — decided
  5. rock — music
  6. clip — to cut
  7. firm — steady
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — an illness
  11. firm — a company
  12. bank — of a river
  13. squash — the sport
  14. key — the most important part
  15. rock — a stone
  16. key — for a lock
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — a video
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. key — in music

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