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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: bat · field · mine · club · cabinet · hide · stand · prune

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — a group
  4. field — farmland
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mine — for digging
  10. prune — to trim
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. field — a subject
  16. stand — to bear
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. club — for golf
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bat — the animal
  24. field — for sport

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