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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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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: hand · lie · last · bass · tear · shower · firm · branch

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bass — low music
  3. last — final
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. shower — rain
  11. last — to go on
  12. firm — decided
  13. shower — to wash
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. firm — steady
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — a division
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bass — the fish
  20. firm — a company
  21. hand — in cards
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. hand — help

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