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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tube · date · prune · plane · bass · trunk · court · spring

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. court — for sport
  4. bass — the fish
  5. prune — to trim
  6. spring — a coil
  7. court — of law
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. spring — the season
  17. plane — a tool
  18. tube — the underground
  19. court — of a king
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. tube — a container
  22. bass — low music
  23. prune — to trim
  24. spring — of water

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