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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: hide · branch · band · mouse · stock · drill · bear · leaves

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. branch — a division
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. band — a ring
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — shares
  14. band — a music group
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bear — the animal
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. drill — army training

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