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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: drill · bass · lie · stand · court · branch · shower · mug

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. mug — a cup
  4. drill — army training
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. stand — to bear
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mug — a face
  9. court — for sport
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. branch — a division
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bass — the fish
  14. shower — rain
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. court — of a king
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bass — low music
  19. drill — the tool
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mug — to rob
  22. court — of law
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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