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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 · tear · current · wind · lash · wax · jam · stand

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. current — electric
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. tear — from crying
  11. current — happening now
  12. tear — to rip
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. current — of water
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. wind — moving air
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wax — to grow
  24. stand — for spectators

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