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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: face · bark · content · ground · game · arm · tear · firm

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. tear — from crying
  3. firm — decided
  4. tear — to rip
  5. content — the amount
  6. firm — steady
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bark — to shout
  10. content — happy
  11. firm — a company
  12. face — to confront
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. ground — a position
  19. face — part of the head
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. game — a match
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. tear — from crying
  24. ground — crushed

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