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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: stock · kick · land · fork · lean · rock · saw · rest

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. rock — music
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. saw — the tool
  6. land — ground
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. lean — thin
  13. fork — in a road
  14. land — to come down
  15. lean — to bend
  16. saw — the tool
  17. land — a country
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. stock — shares
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. rest — a break
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — goods
  24. rock — to move gently

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