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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: march · wound · cap · wake · jam · trunk · suit · content

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. content — happy
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. suit — to fit
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wound — an injury
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. suit — in cards
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. march — music
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. suit — clothes
  20. march — the month
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wound — an injury
  23. march — the month
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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