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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 · bass · fork · row · rush · spell · hand · bear

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bear — the animal
  7. shower — rain
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bass — low music
  11. row — a line
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bear — the animal
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. rush — hurry
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — a short time
  20. hand — help
  21. shower — to wash
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. spell — magic

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