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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 116 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: stick · nail · spell · shower · bank · row · hand · board

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. board — a committee
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bank — for money
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. shower — to wash
  14. row — a line
  15. spell — a short time
  16. shower — rain
  17. bank — of a river
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bank — for money
  23. row — to paddle
  24. hand — part of the body

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