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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.

Make a worksheet

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: jam · fan · present · coach · straw · swing · trunk · clip

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. present — a gift
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. clip — to cut
  6. present — there
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. swing — music
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. present — the time now
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. swing — to play on
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. swing — in golf
  24. trunk — of a tree

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