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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 · lean · degree · ball · spring · mate · mark

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. face — to confront
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mate — a partner
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. degree — an amount
  8. lean — thin
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. spring — a coil
  11. degree — temperature
  12. date — the fruit
  13. spring — of water
  14. face — to point toward
  15. mark — a grade
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. degree — from a university
  18. face — part of the head
  19. ball — a great time
  20. mate — to breed
  21. spring — the season
  22. lean — to bend
  23. ball — a dance
  24. lean — to rest against

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