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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 116 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 · branch · kid · degree · fall · shower · chip · tube

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. fall — the season
  4. chip — to eat
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. shower — to wash
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fall — to drop
  9. degree — an amount
  10. tube — a container
  11. branch — a division
  12. tube — the underground
  13. kid — to tease
  14. lie — to recline
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. fall — to drop
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — from a university
  22. chip — for betting
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. kid — child

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