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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: patient · tear · scale · content · charge · toast · date · bulb

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. tear — to rip
  4. date — the fruit
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bulb — for light
  7. scale — in music
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. charge — a price
  10. scale — size or range
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. charge — in control
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. toast — bread
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. tear — from crying
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. content — happy
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bulb — for light
  23. charge — electricity
  24. content — the amount

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