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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 · sharp · date · hand · land · face · branch · jam

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. branch — a division
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. hand — help
  12. content — the amount
  13. face — to confront
  14. land — a country
  15. date — the fruit
  16. land — to come down
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. hand — in cards
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. face — to point toward
  21. sharp — clever
  22. content — happy
  23. land — ground
  24. face — part of the head

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