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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: cue · shower · mug · pitcher · fork · nail · stem · kid

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. fork — in a road
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mug — a cup
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — for pool
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cue — a signal
  10. shower — rain
  11. stem — to come from
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. kid — to tease
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. mug — to rob
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mug — a face
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. kid — child
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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