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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: court · bore · wake · hide · cell · fall · fork · can

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. court — for sport
  3. cell — a phone
  4. fork — in a road
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bore — to tire
  7. can — a tin
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bore — to drill
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. court — of law
  12. can — a tin
  13. wake — a trail
  14. can — to be able to
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fall — the season
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. court — of a king
  23. cell — in biology
  24. fall — to drop

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