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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: file · dip · trunk · current · present · staff · kick · degree

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. file — a tool
  5. present — there
  6. file — a line of people
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. file — a document
  9. current — happening now
  10. staff — employees
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. degree — from a university
  14. kick — in football
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. staff — employees
  19. current — electric
  20. present — the time now
  21. current — of water
  22. dip — to sink
  23. staff — a stick
  24. dip — to dunk

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