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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: lean · wax · present · pass · fall · spring · cold · fine

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. fine — high quality
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. fall — to drop
  6. spring — the season
  7. present — the time now
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. spring — of water
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. spring — a coil
  12. present — there
  13. cold — an illness
  14. lean — to bend
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. cold — not warm
  18. wax — to grow
  19. lean — thin
  20. fall — the season
  21. fine — all right
  22. pass — a permit
  23. present — a gift
  24. fall — to drop

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