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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: pit · race · rash · wax · wave · field · spell · stem

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. race — humankind
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. race — the arms race
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. rash — a series
  13. field — for sport
  14. rash — hasty
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. stem — to come from
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. race — a contest
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a hole
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. stem — a stem cell

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