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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 116 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
468
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: patient · race · track · prune · row · spell · wax · stand

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. race — humankind
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. row — a line
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. prune — to trim
  7. row — to paddle
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. spell — a short time
  11. race — the arms race
  12. track — to keep track
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. track — a path
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. spell — letters
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spell — magic
  21. race — a contest
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. track — a song
  24. stand — to bear

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