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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: ground · fork · bowl · mate · wake · mug · mouse · straw

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mate — a partner
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. mate — a friend
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. ground — a position
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mate — to breed
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. ground — the earth
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. ground — crushed
  24. wake — before a funeral

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