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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: snap · tear · date · jam · trunk · current · leaves · object

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. current — happening now
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. tear — from crying
  11. date — the fruit
  12. object — to protest
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. current — electric
  18. object — an aim
  19. object — a thing
  20. tear — from crying
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. tear — to rip
  24. current — of water

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