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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bank · bat · mine · branch · drill · march · hide · safe

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bank — for money
  3. march — the month
  4. bank — of a river
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mine — for digging
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. march — music
  14. drill — the tool
  15. branch — a division
  16. bank — for money
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. march — the month
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. drill — army training
  23. bat — the animal
  24. mine — an explosive

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