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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
468
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: patient · scale · prune · track · field · racket · snap · staff

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to click
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. prune — to trim
  6. track — a path
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. prune — to trim
  9. staff — employees
  10. track — a song
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. field — for sport
  13. staff — employees
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. scale — size or range
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. scale — in music
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. staff — a stick
  24. track — to keep track

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