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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: content · spring · staff · jam · date · cabinet · mine · season

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. date — the fruit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. spring — a coil
  6. staff — a stick
  7. spring — the season
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. content — happy
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. staff — employees
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. season — of the year
  20. spring — of water
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. staff — employees
  23. season — in sport
  24. mine — an explosive

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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