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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: snap · sharp · pitcher · mouse · mine · toast · bound · wax

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mine — for digging
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — bread
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bound — obliged
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. snap — to click
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bound — certain
  18. bound — tied together
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wax — to grow

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