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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.

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: row · shower · kick · field · branch · mark · staff · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. field — for sport
  5. branch — a division
  6. row — to paddle
  7. staff — employees
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — rain
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. row — a line
  13. mark — a grade
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. staff — a stick
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. field — a subject
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. mark — a trace
  22. kick — in football
  23. staff — employees
  24. field — farmland

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