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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: bass · stick · pop · hand · trunk · court · prune · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pop — to visit
  6. court — of law
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. hand — help
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bass — low music
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bass — the fish
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pop — music
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. pop — soda
  24. hand — in cards

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