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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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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 · lash · ball · mug · field · pass · prune · stem

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. stem — to come from
  5. ball — a great time
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. prune — to trim
  9. field — a subject
  10. mug — a face
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. pass — a permit
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. field — for sport
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. ball — a dance
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. mug — a cup
  21. field — farmland
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mug — to rob
  24. pass — to succeed

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