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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: game · degree · current · pass · fall · stand · cell · wax

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. cell — a phone
  4. fall — the season
  5. cell — in biology
  6. game — a match
  7. stand — to bear
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. current — electric
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. game — wild animals
  12. degree — an amount
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. degree — from a university
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wax — to grow
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. fall — to drop
  22. current — of water
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pass — a permit

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