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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. wax — to grow
  3. march — the month
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. march — music
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — high quality
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. march — the month
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. rule — a law
  15. vault — a safe
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. rule — government
  19. chair — a leader
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. patient — a sick person

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