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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: rock · saw · current · wax · fall · row · mate · race

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. race — a contest
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. row — a line
  6. current — of water
  7. rock — music
  8. row — to paddle
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wax — to grow
  16. race — the arms race
  17. current — electric
  18. saw — the tool
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. current — happening now
  21. race — humankind
  22. mate — a friend
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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