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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: toast · lie · branch · fall · bound · shower · rash · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. lie — to recline
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. shower — rain
  6. toast — bread
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. fall — the season
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. rash — hasty
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. branch — a division
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. fall — to drop
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bound — tied together
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. rash — a series
  24. lie — an untruth

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