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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 120 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: swing · wave · tube · court · staff · pop · ball · trunk

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. ball — a dance
  5. tube — a container
  6. swing — to play on
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. pop — to visit
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. pop — music
  14. court — of a king
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. pop — soda
  19. swing — music
  20. court — for sport
  21. tube — the underground
  22. staff — a stick
  23. swing — in golf
  24. court — of law

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