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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: firm · present · clip · foot · jam · trunk · mouse · squash

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. present — there
  7. firm — steady
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. firm — a company
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. firm — decided
  12. clip — for paper
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. squash — the sport
  16. clip — to cut
  17. present — the time now
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. clip — a video
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. squash — to crush
  22. present — a gift
  23. foot — a measure
  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