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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hide · fork · pitcher · rest · land · scale · mug · shower

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. scale — in music
  5. land — a country
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mug — a face
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rest — what's left
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. land — ground
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. shower — rain
  16. land — to come down
  17. mug — a cup
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. scale — size or range
  20. mug — to rob
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. fork — in a road

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