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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.

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: nail · clip · hide · bank · march · stock · face · chair

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. face — part of the head
  3. march — music
  4. stock — shares
  5. bank — for money
  6. march — the month
  7. bank — for money
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. face — to confront
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. clip — for paper
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. stock — goods
  17. march — the month
  18. bank — of a river
  19. clip — a video
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. clip — to cut
  22. face — to point toward
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. hide — to keep secret

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