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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 116 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: can · tear · cell · current · spell · trunk · mine · lean

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. tear — from crying
  3. spell — letters
  4. lean — to bend
  5. can — a tin
  6. current — electric
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. spell — magic
  11. lean — thin
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. cell — a phone
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. mine — for digging
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. tear — to rip
  18. spell — a short time
  19. current — of water
  20. current — happening now
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. tear — from crying
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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