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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: wind · wave · dip · wax · mine · toast · tear · fork

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. toast — bread
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. dip — to sink
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — to grow
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. wind — moving air
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mine — for digging
  19. fork — in a road
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. tear — to rip

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