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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 120 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: tear · spring · arm · temple · ground · content · fine · leaves

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. tear — from crying
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. spring — of water
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tear — to rip
  7. ground — the earth
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. spring — a coil
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. ground — a position
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. content — happy
  15. spring — the season
  16. fine — all right
  17. ground — crushed
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. tear — from crying
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fine — high quality
  24. content — the 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