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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: hide · board · rush · file · ground · march · branch · trunk

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. board — a committee
  3. file — a line of people
  4. march — music
  5. ground — the earth
  6. file — a document
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. ground — crushed
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. ground — a position
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. file — a tool
  17. march — the month
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. march — the month
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — hurry
  24. hide — animal skin

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