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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: shower · toast · lie · snap · bore · bay · wax · sharp

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. shower — rain
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bore — to tire
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. snap — to click
  17. sharp — clever
  18. toast — bread
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wax — to grow
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. shower — to wash

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