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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: wax · march · wave · toast · stand · file · shower · plane

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. march — the month
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. march — music
  7. toast — bread
  8. file — a document
  9. wax — to grow
  10. march — the month
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. shower — to wash
  20. stand — to bear
  21. file — a tool
  22. plane — a tool
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. shower — rain

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