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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: stick · dip · ground · straw · mug · spring · shower · pass

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. ground — crushed
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. ground — a position
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. spring — the season
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mug — a face
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. mug — to rob
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. spring — a coil
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pass — a permit
  19. spring — of water
  20. mug — a cup
  21. shower — rain
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. dip — to sink

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