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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.

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: cell · field · patient · cabinet · band · prune · squash · track

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. track — a path
  4. band — a music group
  5. cell — a phone
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. field — a subject
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. track — to keep track
  11. field — for sport
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cell — in biology
  15. squash — the sport
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. squash — to crush
  18. prune — to trim
  19. band — a ring
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. prune — to trim
  23. field — farmland
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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