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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.

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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: branch · march · hide · ruler · ball · can · field · fall

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. branch — a division
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. fall — to drop
  7. field — for sport
  8. can — a tin
  9. march — the month
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. march — music
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fall — to drop
  15. march — the month
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. can — a tin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. field — farmland
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. field — a subject
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. fall — the season
  24. ball — a great time

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