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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: shower · kid · prune · race · branch · roll · patient · fall

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. race — humankind
  5. shower — rain
  6. race — the arms race
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fall — to drop
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. kid — to tease
  11. race — a contest
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. prune — to trim
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. branch — a division
  20. fall — to drop
  21. roll — a list
  22. fall — the season
  23. shower — to wash
  24. roll — a cake

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