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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: wax · wake · shower · lie · patient · pitcher · saw · rash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. lie — to recline
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rash — a series
  14. shower — rain
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wake — a trail
  18. shower — to wash
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wax — to grow
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wax — for sculpting

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