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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 120 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: lie · saw · wax · rule · race · squash · bat · patient

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bat — the animal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. race — the arms race
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rule — government
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rule — a law
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. saw — the tool
  17. squash — to crush
  18. race — a contest
  19. lie — to recline
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. race — humankind
  24. saw — the tool

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