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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 · arm · drill · bear · court · row · leaves · snap

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bear — the animal
  3. snap — to click
  4. row — a line
  5. court — of law
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. court — for sport
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. row — to paddle
  11. drill — army training
  12. stock — goods
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stock — shares
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. court — of a king
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. bear — the animal
  22. drill — the tool
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. stock — a soup base

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