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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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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. scale — in music
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bank — for money
  9. court — for sport
  10. band — a music group
  11. court — of a king
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bank — of a river
  18. court — of law
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. bank — for money
  21. scale — size or range
  22. band — a ring
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bear — the animal

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