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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: dip · patient · wax · date · club · race · saw · land

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. race — a contest
  3. wax — to grow
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. saw — the tool
  6. land — a country
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. race — humankind
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. club — a group
  13. date — the fruit
  14. dip — to sink
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. race — the arms race
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. club — for golf

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