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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cap · degree · cold · prune · cabinet · file · current · charge

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. degree — an amount
  4. charge — a price
  5. current — electric
  6. degree — from a university
  7. charge — in control
  8. current — happening now
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. degree — temperature
  11. file — a tool
  12. cold — an illness
  13. prune — to trim
  14. current — of water
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cap — of ice
  18. charge — electricity
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cap — a hat
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a document
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. cold — not warm

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