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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: patient · wake · pass · chest · race · bear

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. 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. race — a contest
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. race — humankind
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bear — the animal
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. race — the arms race
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chest — a box
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. 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