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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 · object · hide · race · patient · last · wind · rash

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. object — to protest
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rash — a series
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. last — final
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wax — to grow
  13. object — an aim
  14. race — humankind
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. last — to go on
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. object — a thing
  21. wind — moving air
  22. race — the arms race
  23. last — finally
  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