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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: saw · club · kick · wax · patient · stick · rash · race

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. club — for golf
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. kick — in football
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. rash — hasty
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. club — for dancing
  12. saw — the tool
  13. race — the arms race
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rash — a series
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. race — a contest
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. wax — to grow
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. race — humankind

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