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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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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 · kick · bowl · shower · stem · pop · file · fall

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. file — a document
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pop — music
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. pop — soda
  13. stem — to come from
  14. file — a tool
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. kick — in football
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. fall — the season

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