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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: cabinet · wound · can · jam · foot · kid · prune · scale

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. can — a tin
  5. scale — size or range
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. scale — in music
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. wound — an injury
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. prune — to trim
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. kid — to tease
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. foot — a measure
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wound — an injury
  23. prune — to trim
  24. jam — in traffic

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