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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: cabinet · mate · racket · mine · field · prune · fan · mouse

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. field — a subject
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. mine — for digging
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mate — to breed
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. field — for sport
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mate — a partner
  22. field — farmland
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cabinet — ministers

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