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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 120 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 · temple · branch · land · snap · fine · ground · spell

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — to wash
  3. ground — crushed
  4. spell — magic
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — a division
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. ground — the earth
  12. fine — all right
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. spell — a short time
  16. land — ground
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. land — a country
  19. spell — letters
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. land — to come down
  23. fine — high quality
  24. ground — a position

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