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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: stick · date · toast · mate · ball · file · straw · wax

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. mate — to breed
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. file — a document
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mate — a friend
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. toast — bread
  17. file — a tool
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. wax — to grow
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. mate — a partner
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. date — the fruit
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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