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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lean · toast · date · row · season · dip · clip · rest

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. date — the fruit
  3. row — to paddle
  4. lean — to bend
  5. season — of the year
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rest — a break
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. season — in sport
  10. rest — what's left
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. clip — a video
  13. dip — to sink
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. clip — to cut
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. toast — bread
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. row — a line
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. lean — thin
  24. rest — what's left

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