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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. current — happening now
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. current — of water
  10. kid — child
  11. wax — to grow
  12. toast — bread
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bass — low music
  21. current — electric
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — in music
  24. bass — the fish

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