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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: cell · row · root · race · wax · current · patient · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. current — electric
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. race — humankind
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. root — of a plant
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. race — the arms race
  10. wax — to grow
  11. row — a line
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. race — a contest
  15. cell — in biology
  16. row — to paddle
  17. current — of water
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. current — happening now
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a word
  22. squash — the sport
  23. cell — a phone
  24. patient — a sick person

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