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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: tear · mine · hand · date · present · content · nail · cabinet

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. present — the time now
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. present — there
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tear — from crying
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. hand — in cards
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. mine — for digging
  12. hand — help
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. content — the amount
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. present — a gift
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. date — the fruit

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