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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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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: arm · pass · field · fall · wave · stand · branch · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. stand — to bear
  4. pass — a permit
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fall — the season
  9. last — finally
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. field — for sport
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. last — to go on
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. stand — on your feet

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