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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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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: shower · lie · row · kid · fork · ruler · stick · wave

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. row — a line
  3. kid — to tease
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. shower — rain
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. lie — to recline
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. shower — to wash
  16. fork — in a road
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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