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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: bear · ground · dip · mug · staff · branch · snap · scale

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. mug — to rob
  4. staff — a stick
  5. scale — size or range
  6. ground — crushed
  7. mug — a face
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. ground — the earth
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bear — the animal
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. staff — employees
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bear — the animal
  19. branch — a division
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. ground — a position
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. staff — employees
  24. scale — in music

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