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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: degree · pass · fine · wax · ruler · fall · cold · face

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. fall — to drop
  4. face — to point toward
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. cold — an illness
  9. degree — an amount
  10. fine — high quality
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. cold — not warm
  15. fall — the season
  16. face — to confront
  17. degree — from a university
  18. fine — all right
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. face — part of the head
  21. pass — a permit
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. degree — temperature

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