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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 · game · last · pitcher · branch · lie · bulb · foot

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. foot — a measure
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bulb — for light
  6. last — to go on
  7. bulb — for light
  8. game — a match
  9. last — finally
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. shower — rain
  12. last — final
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. lie — to recline
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. shower — to wash
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. game — wild animals
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. lie — an untruth

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