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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
468
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: lie · shower · wax · branch · bank · kid · plane · row

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. plane — a tool
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. row — a line
  8. wax — to grow
  9. shower — to wash
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. shower — rain
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. kid — child
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. kid — to tease
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. branch — a division
  23. row — to paddle
  24. lie — to recline

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