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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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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: staff · pass · present · stick · prune · stand · object · field

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. staff — employees
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. staff — employees
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. field — a subject
  8. object — to protest
  9. present — there
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — the time now
  12. stand — to bear
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. object — a thing
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. staff — a stick
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. object — an aim
  21. pass — a permit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — for sport

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