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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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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: staff · hide · march · branch · kid · bank · bore · pit

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. march — music
  3. pit — in a race
  4. kid — child
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bank — for money
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bank — for money
  9. march — the month
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. march — the month
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bore — to drill
  15. staff — employees
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. branch — a division
  19. kid — to tease
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bore — to tire
  24. staff — employees

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