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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: wind · hide · fall · branch · rock · hand · trunk · bear

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wind — moving air
  4. hand — help
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bear — the animal
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. fall — the season
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. rock — a stone
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bear — the animal
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wind — moving air
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. rock — music
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hand — part of the body

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