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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: toast · kick · wax · rest · shower · straw · face · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. shower — rain
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rest — what's left
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. kick — in football
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. face — part of the head
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. scale — in music
  15. face — to point toward
  16. toast — bread
  17. wax — to grow
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. rest — a break
  20. shower — to wash
  21. face — to confront
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. kick — with a leg

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