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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: stand · hide · staff · field · wax · fall · pass · stick

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. staff — employees
  4. field — a subject
  5. staff — a stick
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — to bear
  8. pass — a permit
  9. staff — employees
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. fall — to drop
  14. field — farmland
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. wax — to grow
  17. fall — to drop
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. fall — the season
  22. field — for sport
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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