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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: spring · pop · shower · plane · leaves · trunk · date · key

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. spring — of water
  3. pop — to visit
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. key — the most important part
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. pop — music
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — the season
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — rain
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. key — in music
  21. pop — soda
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. plane — a tool
  24. key — for a lock

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