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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: pop · chest · branch · shower · scale · lie · coach · rush

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. scale — in music
  5. pop — soda
  6. scale — size or range
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. lie — to recline
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pop — music
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chest — of your body
  16. branch — a division
  17. rush — hurry
  18. chest — a box
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pop — to visit
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. shower — rain

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