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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: content · spring · mine · cap · march · face · racket · nail

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. cap — a lid
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. face — part of the head
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. march — the month
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mine — for digging
  10. content — happy
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. content — the amount
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. spring — the season
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. march — music
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. spring — of water
  20. march — the month
  21. face — to confront
  22. cap — of ice
  23. face — to point toward
  24. spring — a coil

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