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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · stock · pass · hide · lie · field · straw · bank

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. field — for sport
  5. rash — a series
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stock — goods
  8. bank — for money
  9. lie — to recline
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. stock — shares
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bank — of a river
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. pass — a permit
  22. bank — for money
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. straw — dry grass

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