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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 · dip · race · game · prune · fan · toast · can

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. game — a match
  6. dip — to sink
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — the arms race
  9. wax — to grow
  10. can — a tin
  11. prune — to trim
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. race — a contest
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. prune — to trim
  18. toast — bread
  19. can — a tin
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. can — to be able to

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