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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: row · rock · bowl · straw · saw · net · shower · stand

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. row — to paddle
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. rock — music
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. stand — to bear
  10. row — a line
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. shower — rain
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. rock — a stone
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport
  19. shower — to wash
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. net — after costs
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bowl — a dish

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