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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: rush · content · rest · toast · ground · wax · fan · pitcher

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. ground — crushed
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. content — happy
  9. content — the amount
  10. toast — bread
  11. rest — a break
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ground — the earth
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. wax — in the ear

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