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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: wake · charge · stem · bore · fall · bowl · court · stock

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. court — for sport
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bore — to tire
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stock — shares
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. stock — goods
  14. court — of a king
  15. charge — a price
  16. bore — to drill
  17. charge — in control
  18. stem — to come from
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. court — of law
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. wake — before a funeral

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