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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: cold · cabinet · lash · cue · spring · face · mark · craft

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — part of the head
  5. craft — a skill
  6. spring — a coil
  7. craft — boats
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. mark — a trace
  14. spring — of water
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cue — a signal
  19. face — to confront
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cold — not warm
  22. mark — a grade
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. cold — the Cold War

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