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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: deal · scale · snap · toast · fine · mine · wax · race

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. race — a contest
  3. fine — all right
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. deal — to handle
  8. race — the arms race
  9. toast — bread
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. scale — in music
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. fine — high quality
  18. snap — to click
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. scale — size or range
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. race — humankind
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. toast — the most admired

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