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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 · bear · spell · shower · staff · mug · wave · field

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bear — the animal
  4. staff — employees
  5. spell — magic
  6. mug — a cup
  7. field — for sport
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. mug — a face
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. shower — to wash
  12. field — farmland
  13. ground — the earth
  14. field — a subject
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mug — to rob
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. shower — rain
  24. spell — letters

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