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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 116 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: pass · mate · cabinet · season · current · prune · cold · spring

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. spring — of water
  3. season — of the year
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. cold — not warm
  7. prune — to trim
  8. season — in sport
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. current — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pass — a permit
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. current — happening now
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. cold — an illness
  21. spring — the season
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. current — electric
  24. mate — a partner

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