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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: content · spring · court · bore · row · wound · jam · charge

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. content — the amount
  3. row — a line
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bore — to drill
  7. content — happy
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spring — the season
  10. charge — electricity
  11. spring — a coil
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. spring — of water
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bore — to tire
  16. row — to paddle
  17. charge — in control
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. court — of law
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. charge — a price
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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