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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 120 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: plane · can · lie · nail · shower · hand · straw · row

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. lie — to recline
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. row — to paddle
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — to be able to
  13. hand — help
  14. shower — to wash
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. row — a line
  19. hand — in cards
  20. plane — a tool
  21. can — a tin
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. straw — a straw man

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