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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: cabinet · season · capital · file · mine · bulb · rest · prune

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  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 — a cupboard
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. bulb — for light
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a document
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. rest — what's left
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. capital — money
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. file — a tool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. capital — a city
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rest — a break
  24. mine — an explosive

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