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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: mug · ruler · staff · present · field · cap · can · prune

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. mug — a cup
  3. field — for sport
  4. cap — of ice
  5. can — a tin
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. present — a gift
  8. staff — employees
  9. prune — to trim
  10. staff — a stick
  11. mug — a face
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. field — a subject
  16. staff — employees
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — a hat
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. field — farmland
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. prune — to trim
  24. present — the time now

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