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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: charge · cell · fall · trunk · rock · object · deal · wind

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. object — an aim
  7. rock — music
  8. cell — in biology
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. object — to protest
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. charge — a price
  16. wind — moving air
  17. charge — electricity
  18. fall — the season
  19. rock — a stone
  20. cell — a phone
  21. object — a thing
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. charge — in control
  24. wind — moving air

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