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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: rock · jam · swing · row · shower · bay · mouse · wake

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. row — a line
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. wake — a trail
  7. rock — a stone
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. swing — in golf
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — rain
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. row — to paddle
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — music
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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