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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.

Make a worksheet

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: current · roll · cabinet · kick · spell · lean · trunk · wind

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. lean — to bend
  4. current — electric
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. spell — letters
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. current — happening now
  9. kick — in football
  10. wind — moving air
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. spell — magic
  14. roll — a cake
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. roll — a list
  19. lean — thin
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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