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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: plane · stick · cue · hide · trunk · rush · court · spring

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. rush — hurry
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. plane — a tool
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. spring — a coil
  17. cue — a signal
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. court — of a king
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. hide — to keep secret

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