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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: trunk · mug · field · bore · court · stock · club · current

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bore — to drill
  3. current — happening now
  4. mug — a face
  5. field — a subject
  6. club — for golf
  7. court — of law
  8. field — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. bore — to tire
  11. club — a group
  12. current — electric
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. mug — to rob
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. field — farmland
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. current — of water
  20. mug — a cup
  21. stock — shares
  22. court — for sport
  23. stock — goods
  24. trunk — of a tree

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