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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: ground · drill · club · wax · mug · toast · saw · present

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. wax — to grow
  3. drill — the tool
  4. present — the time now
  5. toast — bread
  6. ground — crushed
  7. mug — a cup
  8. saw — the tool
  9. present — a gift
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. club — for golf
  13. mug — a face
  14. club — a group
  15. saw — the tool
  16. ground — the earth
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. mug — to rob
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. drill — a practice
  21. ground — a position
  22. present — there
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. club — for dancing

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