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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. fall — the season
  4. dip — to sink
  5. stem — to come from
  6. hand — in cards
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. hand — help
  9. scale — in music
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. fall — to drop
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. fall — to drop
  17. toast — bread
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. scale — size or range
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. hand — part of the body

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