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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. lean — thin
  4. spell — a short time
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. spell — letters
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bear — the animal
  16. file — a tool
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. file — a line of people
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. file — a document
  23. spell — magic
  24. wax — to grow

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