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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: wax · net · bat · toast · scale · snap · cabinet · mate

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. toast — bread
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. net — in sport
  6. bat — the animal
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — in music
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. scale — size or range
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. net — after costs
  20. mate — a friend
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. wax — to grow
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. net — for catching

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