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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: shower · nail · cabinet · fork · fall · branch · bat · stand

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. shower — to wash
  3. fall — the season
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. branch — a division
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bat — the animal
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. fall — to drop
  23. shower — rain
  24. nail — for a hammer

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