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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 116 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: can · shower · branch · scale · drill · cabinet · wake · fall

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. shower — rain
  4. scale — in music
  5. fall — the season
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. fall — to drop
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. fall — to drop
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — a trail
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. can — a tin
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. drill — the tool
  19. scale — size or range
  20. shower — to wash
  21. branch — a division
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — a practice

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