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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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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: can · band · mouse · nail · lean · fall · drill · branch

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lean — to bend
  3. band — a ring
  4. can — a tin
  5. band — a music group
  6. can — a tin
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. can — to be able to
  11. branch — a division
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. lean — thin
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. fall — the season
  19. drill — the tool
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. drill — army training

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