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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: fork · shower · mark · ground · charge · plane · stock · dip

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. ground — crushed
  3. mark — a grade
  4. ground — a position
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. ground — the earth
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. plane — a tool
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. charge — in control
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. charge — electricity
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. fork — in a road
  22. charge — a price
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stock — shares

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