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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: wake · sharp · pitcher · shower · row · plane · lie · mug

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. row — a line
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. shower — rain
  11. mug — a face
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. lie — to recline
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. wake — a trail
  20. shower — to wash
  21. row — to paddle
  22. sharp — clever
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — an aircraft

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