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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: object · deal · dip · cell · trunk · lean · current · band

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. lean — thin
  3. dip — to sink
  4. current — electric
  5. cell — a phone
  6. object — an aim
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. current — of water
  12. band — a music group
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. cell — in biology
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. lean — to bend
  18. object — to protest
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. deal — to handle
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. current — happening now
  24. band — a ring

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