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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. cue — a hint
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. cue — a signal
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. land — to come down
  10. prune — to trim
  11. field — for sport
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — a phone
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. field — farmland
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. land — a country
  18. prune — to trim
  19. branch — a division
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. land — ground
  23. squash — the sport
  24. field — a subject

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