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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: tube · calf · cabinet · lash · face · date · tear · bear

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. face — to confront
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bear — the animal
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. tube — the underground
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. face — part of the head
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. date — the fruit
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. tube — a container
  24. tear — to rip

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