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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. mine — for digging
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. drill — army training
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. row — a line
  10. mark — a grade
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. toast — bread
  24. drill — a practice

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