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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 · bat · bank · branch · present · rash · band · chest

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rash — a series
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — there
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. band — a music group
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. branch — a division
  13. band — a ring
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bank — of a river
  17. chest — a box
  18. bank — for money
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bank — for money
  21. present — a gift
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rash — hasty

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