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

Word bank: rest · snap · tear · bat · toast · wax · patient · march

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. tear — from crying
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bat — the animal
  12. march — the month
  13. toast — bread
  14. rest — what's left
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. march — the month
  18. snap — to click
  19. march — music
  20. rest — a break
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bat — for baseball

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