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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. toast — bread
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. degree — an amount
  7. tube — the underground
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. degree — from a university
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. lean — thin
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. wax — to grow
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. tube — a container
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. degree — temperature
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. wax — for sculpting

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