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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: hand · bear · shower · spell · band · firm

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. firm — decided
  3. bear — the animal
  4. hand — in cards
  5. firm — a company
  6. band — a ring
  7. shower — to wash
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bear — the animal
  12. band — a music group
  13. hand — help
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. shower — rain
  16. firm — steady
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. spell — letters

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