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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mark — a trace
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mark — a grade
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pitch — completely
  10. branch — a division
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. spring — a coil
  14. drill — army training
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. spring — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. spring — the season
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. current — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. drill — a practice

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