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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: can · lean · scale · degree · date · toast · drill · saw

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. degree — from a university
  3. scale — in music
  4. toast — bread
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. scale — size or range
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. degree — an amount
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to bend
  14. saw — the tool
  15. degree — temperature
  16. date — the fruit
  17. drill — a practice
  18. saw — the tool
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. can — a tin
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. drill — army training
  24. date — on the calendar

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