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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: fine · court · rest · prune · bank · drill · wind · can

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. can — a tin
  4. rest — a break
  5. prune — to trim
  6. drill — army training
  7. court — for sport
  8. fine — all right
  9. bank — for money
  10. court — of a king
  11. can — to be able to
  12. court — of law
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wind — moving air
  15. drill — a practice
  16. can — a tin
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fine — high quality
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wind — moving air

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