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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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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: present · shower · wave · lie · deal · kid · plane · row

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. row — a line
  3. shower — to wash
  4. present — there
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. present — the time now
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. lie — to recline
  15. shower — rain
  16. deal — to handle
  17. kid — child
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. row — to paddle
  20. kid — to tease
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. present — a gift
  24. wave — of the sea

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