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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: bass · fall · toast · wax · date · roll · mark · land

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. bass — the fish
  3. toast — bread
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. land — to come down
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mark — a trace
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fall — to drop
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. land — ground
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. roll — a cake
  16. date — the fruit
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. land — a country
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. bass — low music
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. mark — to pay attention

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