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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tear · fan · wax · mine · spell · bass · mug · toast

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. spell — a short time
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. tear — from crying
  8. spell — magic
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. spell — letters
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. toast — bread
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. tear — to rip
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bass — low music
  24. tear — from crying

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