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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.

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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: ruler · wax · fall · kid · field · pass · drill · chair

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. chair — a leader
  3. kid — child
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. field — a subject
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. field — for sport
  9. drill — the tool
  10. fall — to drop
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. kid — to tease
  14. fall — the season
  15. field — farmland
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. pass — a permit
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pass — to succeed

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