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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: prune · pound · plane · land · trunk · tube · chip · track

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. chip — for betting
  4. prune — to trim
  5. land — ground
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. track — a song
  9. track — to keep track
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. land — a country
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. chip — to eat
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. tube — the underground
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — a weight
  20. tube — a container
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. track — a path
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. trunk — of a tree

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