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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: dip · mug · hand · ground · fork · shower · toast · branch

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — a face
  3. fork — in a road
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. branch — a division
  9. dip — to sink
  10. ground — crushed
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. toast — bread
  14. ground — the earth
  15. hand — help
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. ground — a position
  19. hand — in cards
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. shower — rain
  22. mug — to rob
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. fork — a garden tool

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