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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: stand · game · branch · net · arm · lie · tear · shower

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. lie — to recline
  6. game — a match
  7. net — in sport
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. shower — rain
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. shower — to wash
  14. net — after costs
  15. branch — a division
  16. stand — to bear
  17. tear — from crying
  18. net — for catching
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. stand — on your feet

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