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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: fall · shower · file · cap · stick · branch · snap · rock

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rock — a stone
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. cap — of ice
  10. shower — rain
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cap — a hat
  13. rock — music
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. shower — to wash
  18. branch — a division
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. fall — the season
  23. cap — a lid
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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