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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · trunk · last · craft · tear · cabinet · jam · squash

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. last — to go on
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. content — the amount
  6. last — finally
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. squash — the sport
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. squash — to crush
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. content — happy
  16. last — final
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. craft — a skill
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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