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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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 · straw · trunk · branch · wound · wave · bulb · content

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. wound — an injury
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. content — happy
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. content — the amount
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wound — an injury
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. content — videos and posts

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