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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: bat · spell · drill · shower · field · row · current · bowl

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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. current — electric
  2. row — to paddle
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. drill — army training
  13. spell — a short time
  14. field — farmland
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. shower — rain
  18. row — a line
  19. spell — letters
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. current — happening now
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. current — of water
  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