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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. object — to protest
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. cold — an illness
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. cell — a phone
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. object — a thing
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. cold — not warm
  19. stand — to bear
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. cell — in biology
  23. object — an aim
  24. pass — to spend time

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