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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 · lash · season · sharp · stick · club · dip · tear

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. face — part of the head
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. club — a group
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. face — to point toward
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. sharp — clever
  12. tear — from crying
  13. season — of the year
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. club — for dancing
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. face — to confront
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. club — for golf
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. dip — to sink
  23. season — in sport
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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