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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: branch · fall · fine · wound · saw · row · chest · drill

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. row — to paddle
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. drill — army training
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. branch — a division
  8. chest — a box
  9. fine — high quality
  10. row — a line
  11. chest — of your body
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wound — an injury
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. fine — all right
  20. fall — to drop
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. wound — an injury
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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