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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.

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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: cabinet · prune · stand · nail · bay · kick · field · snap

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. field — for sport
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stand — to bear
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — farmland
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. prune — to trim
  15. kick — in football
  16. snap — to click
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. prune — the fruit

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