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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: shower · can · racket · hide · branch · field · wave · fine

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. field — a subject
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. fine — high quality
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. shower — to wash
  11. fine — all right
  12. field — for sport
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. branch — a division
  15. shower — rain
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. field — farmland
  19. can — a tin
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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