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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 · mouse · date · press · sharp · lash · snap · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. press — to push
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. tear — to rip
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. date — the fruit
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. tear — from crying
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. tear — from crying
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. snap — to click
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. sharp — clever
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. content — happy
  24. mouse — for a computer

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