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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: hand · squash · cue · field · roll · trunk · current · kick

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. roll — a cake
  3. hand — help
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. roll — a list
  6. field — a subject
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. current — of water
  9. field — for sport
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. kick — in football
  13. field — farmland
  14. current — happening now
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — the sport
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. cue — a hint
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. squash — to crush
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. trunk — of a car

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