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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. present — the time now
  6. stand — to bear
  7. capital — a city
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. stem — to come from
  12. present — there
  13. pass — a permit
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. vault — a safe
  16. wax — to grow
  17. present — a gift
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. capital — money
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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