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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · ground · prune · race · wax · pitcher · stem · pass

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. ground — crushed
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. race — humankind
  5. ground — the earth
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pass — a permit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. stem — to come from
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. ground — a position
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. race — the arms race
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. wax — to grow
  21. race — a contest
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. prune — the fruit
  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