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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
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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: hand · prune · date · cap · cabinet · key · lean · field

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. cap — a lid
  5. field — for sport
  6. lean — thin
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. date — the fruit
  10. field — a subject
  11. key — for a lock
  12. prune — to trim
  13. field — farmland
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — to bend
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. key — the most important part
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. key — in music
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cap — a hat
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. prune — the fruit

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