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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · drill · present · wax · bat · fan · firm · toast

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. present — there
  4. drill — a practice
  5. present — a gift
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wound — an injury
  10. toast — bread
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. firm — a company
  14. bat — the animal
  15. firm — steady
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. present — the time now
  19. firm — decided
  20. drill — army training
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. drill — the tool

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