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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: fine · stand · bowl · shower · cold · row · wave · arm

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. cold — not warm
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. row — to paddle
  14. stand — to bear
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. shower — to wash
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. shower — rain

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