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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: field · cue · straw · game · race · wax · patient · safe

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. cue — a hint
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. game — wild animals
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. field — farmland
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. field — a subject
  10. cue — for pool
  11. wax — to grow
  12. cue — a signal
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. race — a contest
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. race — the arms race
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. field — for sport
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. game — a match
  23. race — humankind
  24. patient — a sick person

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