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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: rest · wax · pitcher · spring · hide · race · rush · deal

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rush — hurry
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. race — humankind
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. race — a contest
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. deal — to handle
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rest — what's left
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. race — the arms race
  24. rest — a break

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