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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 · ground · foot · arm · stock · vault · leaves · wax

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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. vault — a safe
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. wax — to grow
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. stock — goods
  8. ground — crushed
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. ground — a position
  12. stock — shares
  13. ground — the earth
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. leaves — to go away
  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