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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: hand · bound · shower · prune · fall · deal · file · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — rain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bound — tied together
  10. branch — a division
  11. deal — to handle
  12. file — a document
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. fall — the season
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. file — a line of people
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. prune — to trim
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. bound — certain
  21. hand — in cards
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. hand — help
  24. file — a 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