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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: shower · branch · staff · fan · leaves · stick · file · band

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. shower — rain
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. file — a tool
  7. staff — a stick
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. band — a music group
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. file — a document
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. file — a line of people
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. band — a ring
  21. branch — a division
  22. staff — employees
  23. shower — to wash
  24. leaves — lets stay

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