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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 120 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: net · season · wave · ground · prune · cabinet · game · current

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. game — a match
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. net — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. current — happening now
  10. net — after costs
  11. prune — to trim
  12. game — wild animals
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. current — of water
  17. net — for catching
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. prune — to trim
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. current — electric
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. ground — a position
  24. cabinet — ministers

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