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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: can · date · spring · track · face · shower · lash · stem

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. shower — rain
  4. stem — to come from
  5. shower — to wash
  6. can — a tin
  7. track — to keep track
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. spring — the season
  10. face — to point toward
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. spring — of water
  13. date — the fruit
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. spring — a coil
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. can — to be able to
  18. track — a path
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. face — part of the head
  22. track — a song
  23. can — a tin
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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