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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: nail · bowl · net · row · deal · drill · shower · prune

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. row — a line
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. drill — a practice
  5. row — to paddle
  6. net — for catching
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. net — in sport
  10. prune — to trim
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. drill — the tool
  15. shower — rain
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. prune — to trim
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. net — after costs
  23. deal — to handle
  24. drill — army training

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