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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 120 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: content · saw · trunk · lash · march · kick · cell · current

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. march — the month
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. saw — the tool
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. march — the month
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. cell — in biology
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cell — a phone
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. content — the amount
  15. march — music
  16. current — happening now
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. kick — in football
  21. current — electric
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. saw — the tool
  24. trunk — of a tree

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