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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: hand · shower · bulb · branch · lie · firm · plane · fine

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. firm — steady
  4. hand — in cards
  5. firm — a company
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fine — all right
  14. firm — decided
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fine — high quality
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. branch — a division
  22. lie — to recline
  23. plane — a tool
  24. hand — part of the body

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