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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: coach · clip · hand · can · swing · roll · jam · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — a list
  4. can — a tin
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hand — help
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. swing — to play on
  10. hand — in cards
  11. swing — in golf
  12. can — to be able to
  13. clip — for paper
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. clip — to cut
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. clip — a video
  18. swing — music
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. can — a tin
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. coach — a trainer

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