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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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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: court · file · track · prune · cabinet · current · season · cap

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. prune — to trim
  4. file — a tool
  5. cap — a hat
  6. court — of a king
  7. current — happening now
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. current — of water
  10. court — for sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. current — electric
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. season — in sport
  16. track — a path
  17. file — a line of people
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. season — of the year
  22. prune — to trim
  23. court — of law
  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