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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: row · pitcher · bass · saw · scale · snap · wave · shower

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. row — to paddle
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. row — a line
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. snap — to click
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. shower — to wash
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bass — the fish
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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