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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: shower · spell · cell · press · wind · dip · branch · lie

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. spell — magic
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. press — to push
  4. spell — a short time
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. press — newspapers
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. wind — moving air
  11. branch — a division
  12. spell — letters
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to sink
  15. wind — moving air
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. press — a publisher
  18. lie — to recline
  19. cell — in biology
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — rain
  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