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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: branch · pit · lie · drill · ball · deal · shower · hand

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. ball — a dance
  3. shower — rain
  4. drill — a practice
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. hand — help
  7. pit — a hole
  8. lie — to recline
  9. pit — in a race
  10. drill — army training
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. ball — a great time
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. hand — in cards
  20. branch — a division
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. drill — the tool

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