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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: hide · branch · rash · band · stand · tube · craft · field

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. rash — a series
  4. band — a music group
  5. craft — boats
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. band — a ring
  19. field — for sport
  20. branch — a division
  21. field — farmland
  22. stand — to bear
  23. tube — a container
  24. field — a subject

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