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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: cell · shower · bowl · calf · drill · row · wax · nail

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. row — a line
  9. cell — in biology
  10. wax — to grow
  11. drill — army training
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. cell — a phone
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — to paddle
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. drill — the tool
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. drill — a practice
  24. calf — of the leg

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