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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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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: current · rash · coach · mine · wake · wax · bark · patient

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. mine — for digging
  10. wake — a trail
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. current — of water
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. current — happening now
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bark — to shout
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. current — electric

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