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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. lash — an eyelash
  2. race — a contest
  3. face — part of the head
  4. race — humankind
  5. face — to point toward
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bank — for money
  9. spring — the season
  10. bank — for money
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. race — the arms race
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bank — of a river
  17. spring — of water
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. face — to confront
  23. spring — a coil
  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