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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stock — shares
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — army training
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. stock — goods
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a song
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. branch — a division
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. drill — the tool
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. fork — in a road

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