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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: lie · shower · stick · branch · patient · wind · pound · roll

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. lie — to recline
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wind — moving air
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. wind — moving air
  12. pound — a weight
  13. branch — a division
  14. roll — a cake
  15. shower — to wash
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. roll — a list
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. shower — rain
  24. branch — of a bank

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