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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: temple · straw · chair · last · wind · wax · pass · field

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. wind — moving air
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wind — moving air
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. last — finally
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. field — a subject
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wax — to grow
  17. last — to go on
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. chair — a leader
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. last — final

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