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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: charge · wax · temple · patient · kid · rest · race · lash

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. race — humankind
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rest — what's left
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. charge — electricity
  9. race — a contest
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. race — the arms race
  13. wax — to grow
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. kid — child
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rest — a break
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. charge — a price
  22. rest — what's left
  23. charge — in control
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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