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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: bank · pitch · field · spring · branch · fall · hide · rule

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. spring — the season
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — of a river
  6. field — farmland
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — government
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — a division
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. field — for sport
  16. fall — the season
  17. rule — a law
  18. bank — for money
  19. fall — to drop
  20. field — a subject
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pitch — completely
  24. spring — of water

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