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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: cue · bear · cell · vault · prune · field · can · racket

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cue — a signal
  4. field — a subject
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. prune — to trim
  7. can — to be able to
  8. field — farmland
  9. can — a tin
  10. field — for sport
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bear — the animal
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — a phone
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. cue — for pool
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. prune — to trim
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. can — a tin
  23. cue — a hint
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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