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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 120 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: last · can · saw · rest · band · fork · shower · court

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. court — of law
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rest — a break
  6. last — finally
  7. rest — what's left
  8. can — to be able to
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. saw — the tool
  11. can — a tin
  12. rest — what's left
  13. can — a tin
  14. last — final
  15. fork — in a road
  16. court — for sport
  17. shower — rain
  18. court — of a king
  19. shower — to wash
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. saw — the tool
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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