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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 120 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: ball · hand · branch · shower · bore · fan · dip · stand

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. branch — a division
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bore — to drill
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. stand — to bear
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. dip — to sink
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bore — to tire
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a dance
  24. branch — of a tree

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