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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 124 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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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 · vault · coach · fork · wax · rash · chair · ground

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fork — in a road
  7. pass — a permit
  8. ground — the earth
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. rash — a series
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — crushed
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. rash — hasty
  16. vault — a safe
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. chair — a leader

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