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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 116 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: tube · branch · leaves · pop · drill · patient · charge · shower

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pop — music
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. charge — electricity
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. tube — a container
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pop — soda
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. pop — to visit
  14. branch — a division
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. shower — rain
  17. charge — in control
  18. shower — to wash
  19. charge — a price
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — a practice
  24. branch — of a tree

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