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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The flowers bloom in 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. toast — a drink to someone
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. field — farmland
  8. spring — a coil
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rock — a stone
  11. spring — of water
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. field — a subject
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. field — for sport
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — music
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. perch — the fish
  23. spring — the season
  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