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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. stand — to bear
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. branch — a division
  8. wax — to grow
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. pass — a permit
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. spring — the season
  17. ball — a dance
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. chair — a leader
  24. ball — a round shape

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