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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: bound · wax · race · branch · toast · cold · root · cue

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — tied together
  3. root — the cause
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — a signal
  6. race — a contest
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. root — of a plant
  9. cue — for pool
  10. branch — a division
  11. cold — not warm
  12. race — humankind
  13. toast — bread
  14. cold — an illness
  15. wax — to grow
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. root — of a word
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. race — the arms race
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wax — in the ear

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