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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: pass · wax · key · chair · mug · ball · field · hide

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pass — a permit
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. mug — a face
  6. key — for a lock
  7. field — farmland
  8. chair — a leader
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wax — to grow
  12. field — a subject
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. ball — a great time
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — to rob
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. key — the most important part
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. key — in music
  24. field — for sport

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