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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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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 · tube · field · prune · lean · bat · staff · club

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  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. tube — in a tire
  2. cue — for pool
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. tube — the underground
  8. cue — a signal
  9. tube — a container
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. staff — employees
  13. prune — to trim
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. field — for sport
  16. staff — employees
  17. club — a group
  18. field — farmland
  19. cue — a hint
  20. club — for dancing
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. club — for golf
  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