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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: shower · firm · hand · rock · press · row · saw · wave

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. firm — steady
  3. shower — to wash
  4. hand — help
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. firm — decided
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. rock — music
  12. press — newspapers
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. press — to push
  18. shower — rain
  19. row — to paddle
  20. firm — a company
  21. press — a publisher
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rock — a stone

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