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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: rash · ground · bat · hide · branch · sharp · can · field

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. field — farmland
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. can — a tin
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — for sport
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. ground — the earth
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. sharp — clever
  17. can — a tin
  18. ground — a position
  19. branch — a division
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. rash — hasty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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