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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: mug · dip · shower · wake · key · kid · hand · ruler

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. kid — to tease
  3. dip — to sink
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. kid — child
  6. mug — a face
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. mug — to rob
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — in cards
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. shower — rain
  18. hand — help
  19. wake — a trail
  20. shower — to wash
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. mug — a cup
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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