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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: patient · wax · drill · race · lie · pass · temple · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. prune — to trim
  3. race — humankind
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wax — to grow
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. race — a contest
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. race — the arms race
  18. drill — army training
  19. lie — to recline
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. drill — a practice

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