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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: current · ground · bulb · season · trunk · toast · fall · roll

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. roll — a list
  5. current — of water
  6. fall — the season
  7. season — in sport
  8. ground — a position
  9. current — electric
  10. ground — crushed
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bulb — for light
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bulb — for light
  18. season — of the year
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. roll — a cake
  21. current — happening now
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. trunk — of a car

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