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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: present · race · wound · staff · wax · lean · patient · kid

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. kid — child
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. staff — a stick
  5. present — the time now
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. present — there
  9. lean — to bend
  10. wound — an injury
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. kid — to tease
  13. staff — employees
  14. lean — thin
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wound — an injury
  17. race — the arms race
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. staff — employees
  20. race — humankind
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. present — a gift
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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