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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: cue · court · trunk · prune · fine · wax · land · chip

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. prune — to trim
  4. land — ground
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. prune — to trim
  7. chip — for betting
  8. court — for sport
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. court — of law
  12. cue — a hint
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. fine — high quality
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. court — of a king
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. cue — a signal
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. cue — for pool
  22. fine — all right
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. chip — to eat

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