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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.

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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: row · fall · patient · bowl · bulb · kick · branch · shower

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. row — to paddle
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. kick — in football
  12. bulb — for light
  13. branch — a division
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. fall — the season
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. fall — to drop
  21. row — a line
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. shower — rain
  24. kick — with a leg

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