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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. wax — to grow
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. cold — an illness
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. fine — all right
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. chair — a leader
  14. vault — a safe
  15. stem — to come from
  16. pass — a permit
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. fine — high quality
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. cold — not warm
  24. fine — a penalty

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