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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: branch · lie · racket · foot · stand · shower · scale · cell

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — to wash
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — to recline
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. cell — a phone
  10. stand — to bear
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. scale — in music
  15. branch — a division
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. foot — a measure
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cell — in biology

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