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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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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: deal · shower · bowl · straw · row · wave · fall · swing

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. shower — rain
  3. row — a line
  4. fall — the season
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. fall — to drop
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. swing — music
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. fall — to drop
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. row — to paddle
  19. swing — to play on
  20. shower — to wash
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. swing — in golf
  24. deal — to handle

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