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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: lie · patient · toast · tube · straw · scale · dip · rash

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. toast — bread
  4. rash — hasty
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. scale — size or range
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. lie — to recline
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — the underground
  14. scale — in music
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. dip — to sink
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. rash — a series
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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