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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 116 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 · saw · rash · wake · land · face · swing · wax

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — in golf
  6. swing — music
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. face — to confront
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. land — a country
  11. wake — a trail
  12. face — to point toward
  13. rash — a series
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wax — to grow
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. land — ground
  22. rash — hasty
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wake — before a funeral

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