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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: pass · branch · shower · stand · fall · sharp · press · game

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. press — to push
  3. shower — rain
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. fall — to drop
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. stand — to bear
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. shower — to wash
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. sharp — clever
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. branch — a division
  22. press — newspapers
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. press — a publisher

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