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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: wax · staff · pass · squash · row · race · game · rest

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. staff — employees
  4. race — the arms race
  5. row — a line
  6. squash — the sport
  7. staff — employees
  8. game — a match
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. game — wild animals
  11. race — humankind
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. row — to paddle
  14. staff — a stick
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. race — a contest
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. squash — to crush
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pass — to succeed

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