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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: bank · race · patient · wax · chair · bear · file · hide

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bank — of a river
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. file — a line of people
  6. wax — to grow
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a document
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bank — for money
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. race — humankind
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bank — for money
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. chair — a leader
  23. race — a contest
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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