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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: wax · fall · rock · toast · spring · tear · ball · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wax — to grow
  4. spring — the season
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. fall — the season
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rock — a stone
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fall — to drop
  11. tear — to rip
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. toast — bread
  14. spring — of water
  15. ball — a dance
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. spring — a coil
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — music
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. ball — a great time

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