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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: trunk · fall · craft · dip · cell · roll · spring · spell

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. craft — boats
  3. fall — to drop
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. roll — a cake
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. fall — to drop
  9. roll — a list
  10. spell — magic
  11. craft — a skill
  12. dip — to sink
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spring — of water
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. spring — a coil
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. spring — the season
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — a phone

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