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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
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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: staff · face · can · content · last · spring · tear · racket

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. can — to be able to
  3. staff — a stick
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. face — to confront
  6. content — happy
  7. last — to go on
  8. spring — a coil
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — a tin
  12. face — part of the head
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. spring — the season
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. tear — to rip
  19. last — final
  20. spring — of water
  21. content — the amount
  22. last — finally
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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