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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 116 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. scale — size or range
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wax — to grow
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. stand — to bear
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. rock — music
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. fall — to drop
  13. scale — in music
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. cell — a phone
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cell — in biology
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. rock — a stone

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