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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: toast · sharp · mine · shower · wax · march · ball · fine

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. sharp — clever
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. toast — bread
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. march — music
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a great time
  12. fine — all right
  13. mine — for digging
  14. shower — rain
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. march — the month
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. fine — high quality
  20. march — the month
  21. shower — to wash
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. wax — for sculpting

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