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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: row · lie · land · sharp · shower · wave · tube · pit

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. land — to come down
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. row — to paddle
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. land — ground
  10. shower — rain
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. land — a country
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. tube — a container
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. lie — to recline
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. tube — the underground
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. pit — a hole
  23. row — a line
  24. pit — in a race

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