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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: spell · pop · club · trunk · race · plane · spring · can

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. race — humankind
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. pop — to visit
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. race — the arms race
  9. spell — a short time
  10. can — a tin
  11. pop — soda
  12. spring — the season
  13. club — for golf
  14. spell — magic
  15. race — a contest
  16. can — to be able to
  17. pop — music
  18. plane — a tool
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — a group
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. spell — letters
  23. can — a tin
  24. plane — an aircraft

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