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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: field · bore · leaves · bank · fan · court · squash · dip

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. squash — to crush
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. squash — the sport
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bore — to drill
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bank — for money
  16. bore — to tire
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bank — of a river
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. court — of a king
  23. dip — to sink
  24. field — a subject

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