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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: branch · hand · saw · roll · shower · tube · club · lean

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. club — a group
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. tube — a container
  6. branch — a division
  7. lean — to bend
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. tube — the underground
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. lean — thin
  13. hand — help
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. shower — to wash
  16. roll — a list
  17. roll — a cake
  18. club — for golf
  19. shower — rain
  20. saw — the tool
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. club — for dancing
  23. hand — in cards
  24. saw — the tool

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