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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: row · saw · dip · wake · sharp · rash · shower · hide

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. rash — a series
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. row — to paddle
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wake — a trail
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. sharp — clever
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. row — a line
  20. dip — to sink
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — to wash
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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