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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: rest · fan · court · dip · bore · land · stock · saw

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. dip — to sink
  5. stock — shares
  6. court — of a king
  7. saw — the tool
  8. land — to come down
  9. bore — to drill
  10. court — for sport
  11. land — a country
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. court — of law
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rest — what's left
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. land — ground
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. stock — goods
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — gave birth

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