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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 120 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: nail · patient · wax · rash · cabinet · bound · lash · dip

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rash — a series
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wax — to grow
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bound — obliged
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. dip — to sink
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bound — certain
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. dip — to dunk

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