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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 · staff · temple · perch · pound · content · game · wax

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. staff — employees
  3. toast — bread
  4. perch — the fish
  5. content — the amount
  6. game — a match
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. staff — employees
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. game — wild animals
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pound — a weight
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. content — happy
  24. staff — a stick

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