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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 120 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: wound · board · shower · row · spell · mug · suit · cap

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cap — of ice
  3. spell — a short time
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. suit — in cards
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — to get on
  8. spell — magic
  9. shower — to wash
  10. suit — clothes
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. mug — a face
  13. row — a line
  14. cap — a lid
  15. mug — a cup
  16. spell — letters
  17. wound — an injury
  18. shower — rain
  19. mug — to rob
  20. suit — to fit
  21. wound — an injury
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. row — to paddle
  24. cap — a hat

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