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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: craft · rest · plane · tube · bound · pop · club · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. rest — a break
  3. craft — boats
  4. court — of a king
  5. craft — a skill
  6. club — for golf
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rest — what's left
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bound — certain
  11. plane — a tool
  12. club — a group
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — to visit
  15. tube — a container
  16. club — for dancing
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. court — of law
  20. rest — what's left
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. pop — soda
  23. bound — obliged
  24. craft — a handicraft

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