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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: jam · current · kick · face · bat · tear · trunk · land

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — electric
  5. land — to come down
  6. current — of water
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — the animal
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. face — part of the head
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. land — a country
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. tear — to rip
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — to point toward
  21. land — ground
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. tear — from crying
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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