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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: track · shower · bat · fan · toast · chair · bulb · wax

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. track — a song
  4. bat — the animal
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. shower — to wash
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. chair — a leader
  24. shower — rain

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