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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: file · toast · wax · shower · chip · bank

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. wax — to grow
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bank — for money
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bank — for money
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a tool
  12. bank — of a river
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. shower — rain
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. file — a line of people
  18. shower — to wash

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