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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: cell · content · court · season · current · prune · drill · lie

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. cell — a phone
  3. season — of the year
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. current — of water
  6. content — the amount
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. court — of law
  10. drill — army training
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. cell — in biology
  13. season — in sport
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. court — of a king
  19. drill — a practice
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. drill — the tool
  22. court — for sport
  23. lie — to recline
  24. content — happy

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