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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 116 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: object · branch · hide · wound · bear · capital · tear · ground

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. object — to protest
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. branch — a division
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. object — a thing
  13. object — an aim
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bear — the animal
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bear — the animal
  21. capital — a city
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. ground — a position

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