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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. face — to point toward
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. face — part of the head
  11. content — the amount
  12. wake — a trail
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. content — happy
  19. ground — crushed
  20. mark — a trace
  21. face — to confront
  22. ground — a position
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ground — the earth

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