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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: toast · sharp · dip · last · mug · perch · wax · wind

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. last — to go on
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. sharp — clever
  7. last — final
  8. mug — to rob
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mug — a face
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. last — finally
  15. wind — moving air
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. wax — to grow
  20. mug — a cup
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. perch — the fish
  24. dip — to dunk

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