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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: squash · jam · trunk · row · sharp · can · wound · clip

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. clip — to cut
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. clip — a video
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. can — to be able to
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. wound — an injury
  14. can — a tin
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. sharp — clever
  17. row — a line
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. squash — the sport
  20. row — to paddle
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. clip — for paper
  24. can — a tin

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