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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: face · stick · bank · rash · cold · bore · lash · season

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bank — for money
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. rash — hasty
  6. face — part of the head
  7. cold — an illness
  8. rash — a series
  9. season — in sport
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bore — to drill
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bank — of a river
  19. face — to point toward
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bank — for money
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  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