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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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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: prune · firm · cue · file · cell · temple · field · stem

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cell — a phone
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. cue — for pool
  5. stem — to come from
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cue — a signal
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. field — farmland
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. firm — steady
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. firm — decided
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. field — a subject
  19. file — a tool
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. firm — a company
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. prune — to trim
  24. cell — in biology

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