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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: jam · bore · stem · content · sharp · swing · can · coach

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. swing — to play on
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. can — a tin
  5. content — the amount
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bore — to drill
  9. swing — in golf
  10. content — happy
  11. can — to be able to
  12. swing — music
  13. stem — to come from
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bore — to tire
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. can — a tin
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. jam — a tight spot

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