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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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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 · bay · bat · cell · trunk · roll · stick · present

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. current — of water
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — in biology
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. present — there
  11. bat — the animal
  12. current — electric
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. roll — a cake
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. present — a gift
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. roll — a list
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. current — happening now
  23. present — the time now
  24. bat — for baseball

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