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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: firm · hide · band · file · row · branch · lean · wound

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wound — an injury
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. band — a ring
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. lean — to bend
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. firm — a company
  10. row — to paddle
  11. firm — decided
  12. firm — steady
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. row — a line
  15. file — a tool
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. file — a line of people
  18. file — a document
  19. wound — an injury
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. lean — thin
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. branch — of a bank

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