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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 · branch · mine · lie · tube · capital · fall · board

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. board — to get on
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — a container
  6. mine — for digging
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. drill — army training
  11. capital — money
  12. branch — a division
  13. board — a committee
  14. fall — to drop
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fall — the season
  17. tube — the underground
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. capital — a city
  21. drill — the tool
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. lie — to recline
  24. fall — to drop

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