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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: bore · cabinet · stock · staff · spring · face · date · lash

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bore — to tire
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. spring — of water
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — goods
  9. face — part of the head
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. spring — a coil
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. spring — the season
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bore — to drill
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. stock — shares
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. staff — employees
  24. face — to confront

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