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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: wax · ruler · shower · mark · present · dip · field · sharp

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. shower — to wash
  3. field — farmland
  4. dip — to sink
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. present — a gift
  7. field — for sport
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. present — there
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. shower — rain
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a trace
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. wax — to grow
  22. field — a subject
  23. present — the time now
  24. wax — in the ear

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