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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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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. branch — a division
  5. lean — thin
  6. lean — to bend
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. wound — an injury
  11. march — music
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. march — the month
  14. club — a group
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. club — for golf
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. march — the month
  22. club — for dancing
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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