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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: firm · pitcher · court · wake · tube · bore · stock · leaves

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. firm — steady
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. stock — shares
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. firm — a company
  7. bore — to tire
  8. court — of law
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to drill
  16. tube — a container
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. stock — goods
  22. court — for sport
  23. firm — decided
  24. court — of a king

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