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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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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: prune · field · nail · stand · cue · cell · rock · racket

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cue — a hint
  3. field — for sport
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. stand — to bear
  6. rock — a stone
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cue — a signal
  9. rock — music
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cell — in biology
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cell — a phone
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. field — a subject
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. prune — to trim
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. field — farmland

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