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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: bat · track · saw · field · mate · stand · prune · object

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. mate — a partner
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. saw — the tool
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. field — farmland
  8. bat — the animal
  9. field — a subject
  10. mate — to breed
  11. prune — to trim
  12. field — for sport
  13. track — a path
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. object — to protest
  16. track — a song
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stand — to bear
  20. mate — a friend
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. object — a thing
  23. track — to keep track
  24. object — an aim

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