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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 116 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: board · row · dip · hand · rest · firm · shower · stem

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. firm — steady
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. rest — a break
  5. board — a committee
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. row — to paddle
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. shower — rain
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. rest — what's left
  14. firm — decided
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. shower — to wash
  17. dip — to sink
  18. rest — what's left
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. firm — a company
  22. stem — to come from
  23. row — a line
  24. hand — in cards

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