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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: ball · file · toast · stock · shower · mouse · wound · wax

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a great time
  3. shower — rain
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stock — goods
  6. toast — bread
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. stock — shares
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. shower — to wash
  24. file — a line of people

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