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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: mouse · jam · content · trunk · wake · hand · mug · game

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — a face
  6. wake — a trail
  7. content — happy
  8. game — a match
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. hand — help
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mug — to rob
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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