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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 · mine · court · rest · band · bear · ground · tube

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. tube — a container
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rest — a break
  8. mine — for digging
  9. ground — the earth
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. rest — what's left
  12. stock — shares
  13. court — of a king
  14. stock — goods
  15. band — a music group
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — crushed
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. band — a ring
  23. court — for sport
  24. bear — to put up with

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