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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. spring — a coil
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. scale — in music
  8. spring — of water
  9. lie — to recline
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. lean — thin
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. sharp — clever
  15. lean — to bend
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wax — to grow
  18. toast — bread
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. spring — the season
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. scale — size or range

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