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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.

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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 · ground · cap · chip · march · branch · stand · rock

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. cap — a hat
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. cap — a lid
  11. stand — to bear
  12. rock — music
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. cap — of ice
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. branch — a division
  18. rock — a stone
  19. march — music
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — to eat
  22. ground — the earth
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. stand — on your feet

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