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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: date · face · spring · mug · mouse · ground · arm · degree

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. mug — a face
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — to point toward
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. face — part of the head
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. degree — from a university
  16. degree — temperature
  17. ground — the earth
  18. spring — a coil
  19. date — the fruit
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. degree — an amount

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