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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: drill · tear · kick · rock · hide · branch · spring · mug

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rock — music
  3. drill — the tool
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. tear — from crying
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mug — to rob
  8. kick — in football
  9. spring — the season
  10. drill — a practice
  11. branch — a division
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. drill — army training
  14. mug — a face
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. tear — from crying
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mug — a cup
  19. spring — a coil
  20. tear — to rip
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — a stone
  24. spring — of water

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