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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: current · wind · race · march · wax · hand · wave · lie

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. march — music
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. march — the month
  5. current — of water
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. current — electric
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. hand — in cards
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. current — happening now
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wind — moving air
  17. march — the month
  18. wax — to grow
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. lie — to recline
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wind — moving air

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