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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 120 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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. wave — with your hand
  4. field — for sport
  5. branch — a division
  6. current — of water
  7. capital — a city
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. rest — a break
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. field — a subject
  12. rest — what's left
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. current — electric
  16. field — farmland
  17. vault — a safe
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. capital — money
  20. current — happening now
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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