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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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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bank — for money
  5. roll — a cake
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wound — an injury
  9. date — the fruit
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. content — the amount
  12. bank — of a river
  13. spring — of water
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bank — for money
  16. spring — the season
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. content — happy
  19. mate — to breed
  20. spring — a coil
  21. sharp — clever
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. mate — a partner

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