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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: face · spring · dip · tear · wake · content · ball · mate

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. spring — of water
  4. wake — a trail
  5. dip — to sink
  6. ball — a dance
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. content — the amount
  12. mate — a partner
  13. face — to point toward
  14. content — happy
  15. face — part of the head
  16. ball — a great time
  17. mate — a friend
  18. face — to confront
  19. spring — the season
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mate — to breed
  22. spring — a coil
  23. tear — from crying
  24. content — videos and posts

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