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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: leaves · branch · bound · field · bank · hide · can · scale

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. field — for sport
  4. can — a tin
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. field — a subject
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bound — certain
  12. branch — a division
  13. bank — for money
  14. field — farmland
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bank — for money
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bank — of a river
  20. scale — size or range
  21. can — to be able to
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bound — obliged
  24. can — a tin

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