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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 116 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: tube · field · net · chip · trunk · nail · court · prune

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. tube — a container
  4. chip — for betting
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. field — for sport
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. net — after costs
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. tube — the underground
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. net — for catching
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chip — to eat
  17. field — farmland
  18. net — in sport
  19. prune — to trim
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. prune — to trim
  24. nail — for a hammer

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