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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: can · cabinet · leaves · drill · branch · shower · kid · bat

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. shower — to wash
  3. can — a tin
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — the tool
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. kid — child
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bat — the animal
  13. branch — a division
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. drill — a practice
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. shower — rain
  21. kid — to tease
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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