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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: bore · cue · straw · spring · trunk · rest · stock · court

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. stock — shares
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rest — what's left
  6. court — of a king
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. court — of law
  9. bore — to drill
  10. rest — what's left
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bore — to tire
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — goods
  19. cue — a hint
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. rest — a break
  22. spring — the season
  23. court — for sport
  24. cue — for pool

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