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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 116 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: spell · hand · deal · track · row · pop · mark · shower

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. track — a path
  4. deal — to handle
  5. track — to keep track
  6. spell — a short time
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. spell — letters
  11. mark — a grade
  12. pop — soda
  13. shower — to wash
  14. pop — music
  15. spell — magic
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pop — to visit
  18. mark — a trace
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. hand — in cards
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — rain
  23. track — a song
  24. hand — help

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