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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: lash · scale · mine · toast · pop · lie · fan · mug

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  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. fan — a supporter
  2. toast — bread
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pop — music
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. mug — a cup
  12. scale — in music
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. mug — a face
  16. pop — soda
  17. lie — to recline
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pop — to visit
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mine — for digging
  23. fan — a supporter
  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