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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: foot · bulb · tube · plane · court · prune · clip · rush

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. prune — to trim
  3. foot — a measure
  4. clip — for paper
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. clip — a video
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — the underground
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bulb — for light
  14. court — of law
  15. clip — to cut
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. plane — a tool
  18. court — of a king
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. bulb — for light
  24. prune — to trim

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