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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: pass · game · file · kick · prune · wax · race · mouse

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. race — a contest
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. race — humankind
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. file — a document
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. file — a tool
  17. race — the arms race
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. file — a line of people
  20. kick — in football
  21. game — a match
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wax — to grow
  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