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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: file · band · bulb · current · cue · trunk · kick · mine

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. mine — for digging
  3. current — of water
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — in football
  9. current — electric
  10. cue — a hint
  11. band — a ring
  12. cue — a signal
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. current — happening now
  15. bulb — for light
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. file — a line of people
  20. band — a music group
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. cue — for pool
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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