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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 120 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: spring · wound · fork · cabinet · current · file · prune · ball

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. current — of water
  4. current — happening now
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. file — a tool
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. spring — of water
  9. current — electric
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fork — in a road
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spring — the season
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. file — a line of people
  20. ball — a great time
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. file — a document

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