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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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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: stick · nail · wax · cell · mouse · rash · racket · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wax — to grow
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. race — a contest
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cell — a phone
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. race — humankind
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mouse — for a computer

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