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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 120 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: shower · leaves · pitcher · rule · bear · plane · branch · bass

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rule — government
  3. bass — the fish
  4. shower — to wash
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. branch — a division
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bear — the animal
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. shower — rain
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rule — a law
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bass — low music
  24. plane — a tool

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