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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: jam · bear · season · fork · prune · cabinet · wound · cold

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. season — in sport
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fork — in a road
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bear — the animal
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. season — of the year
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. prune — to trim

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