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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: cell · trunk · roll · march · racket · kick · current · face

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a cake
  4. current — happening now
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. cell — a phone
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. march — the month
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cell — in biology
  13. current — electric
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. kick — in football
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. current — of water
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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