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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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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 · cue · snap · field · fall · mouse · ground · branch

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. fall — to drop
  6. branch — a division
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cue — a signal
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. snap — to click
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. field — a subject
  18. ground — crushed
  19. cue — for pool
  20. ground — a position
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. cue — a hint

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