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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · fall · mouse · branch · row · drill · wound · lie

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. fall — to drop
  3. drill — a practice
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. drill — army training
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. lie — to recline
  8. row — a line
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. branch — a division
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. drill — the tool
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. fall — to drop
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. fall — the season
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wound — an injury

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