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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: tear · date · ground · face · band · mouse · wave · content

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. tear — to rip
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. tear — from crying
  5. ground — a position
  6. face — to confront
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. content — happy
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. face — to point toward
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. ground — the earth
  13. band — a ring
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. tear — from crying
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. face — part of the head
  18. ground — crushed
  19. content — the amount
  20. date — the fruit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

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