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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: race · prune · plane · coach · bass · clip · ball · trunk

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the fish
  5. race — the arms race
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. clip — for paper
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. clip — a video
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. clip — to cut
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — humankind
  23. plane — a tool
  24. ball — a great time

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