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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
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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: net · wax · mate · file · field · toast · fall · shower

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. file — a document
  3. mate — a partner
  4. shower — to wash
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. fall — the season
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mate — a friend
  11. field — for sport
  12. file — a line of people
  13. net — in sport
  14. fall — to drop
  15. toast — bread
  16. field — a subject
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wax — to grow
  20. net — for catching
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. file — a tool
  23. mate — to breed
  24. net — after costs

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