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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: ball · stick · lie · press · spring · nail · branch · shower

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. spring — a coil
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. branch — a division
  10. ball — a great time
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — to push
  19. spring — the season
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. spring — of water
  22. ball — a dance
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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