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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: field · wave · stem · row · shower · stick · rash · deal

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. deal — to handle
  4. row — a line
  5. stem — to come from
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. field — for sport
  8. rash — hasty
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. row — to paddle
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. field — farmland
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. rash — a series
  23. shower — to wash
  24. field — a subject

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