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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: roll · drill · fork · kick · band · shower · object · branch

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. band — a music group
  4. drill — a practice
  5. shower — to wash
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. branch — a division
  8. roll — a cake
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. object — to protest
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. band — a ring
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. object — an aim
  17. drill — the tool
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. kick — in football
  20. shower — rain
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. fork — in a road
  23. drill — army training
  24. object — a thing

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