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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: lie · spring · face · squash · lash · dip · bark · race

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bark — to shout
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. face — to point toward
  5. spring — the season
  6. lie — to recline
  7. face — part of the head
  8. race — the arms race
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. face — to confront
  19. spring — a coil
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — to sink
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bark — of a tree

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