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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: date · cabinet · bore · spring · face · tube · lash · lie

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. tube — the underground
  8. face — to confront
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bore — to tire
  18. tube — a container
  19. date — the fruit
  20. spring — a coil
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. lash — an eyelash

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