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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: charge · fall · trunk · degree · current · cell · lean · ground

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cell — in biology
  3. degree — temperature
  4. charge — electricity
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. ground — a position
  7. current — happening now
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. charge — a price
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fall — the season
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. current — of water
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. lean — thin
  19. charge — in control
  20. cell — a phone
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. lean — to bend
  23. degree — an amount
  24. current — electric

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