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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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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: pound · shower · current · cell · tear · cabinet · mark · branch

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. tear — to rip
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cell — in biology
  8. current — happening now
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. shower — rain
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mark — a trace
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. current — electric
  19. pound — a weight
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. branch — a division
  23. current — of water
  24. cell — a phone

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