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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: lie · fall · branch · date · drill · lean · cell · current

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. drill — army training
  4. fall — to drop
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. branch — a division
  7. lean — to bend
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. drill — a practice
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. current — electric
  13. date — the fruit
  14. fall — to drop
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. current — of water
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. current — happening now
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. lean — thin
  24. drill — the tool

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