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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: spring · dip · game · mate · shower · mug · squash · mark

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. shower — rain
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mug — to rob
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. game — wild animals
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. mark — a grade
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. mark — a trace
  18. squash — to crush
  19. shower — to wash
  20. mate — a partner
  21. dip — to sink
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. mate — to breed
  24. mug — a face

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