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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. swing — music
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. present — there
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. field — for sport
  8. can — a tin
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. branch — a division
  11. stand — to bear
  12. kid — child
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. can — to be able to
  15. kid — to tease
  16. field — a subject
  17. field — farmland
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — in golf
  20. can — a tin
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. present — the time now
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. present — a gift

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