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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: date · cold · ground · root · branch · race · bore · current

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. root — the cause
  4. current — electric
  5. ground — a position
  6. root — of a plant
  7. branch — a division
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. current — happening now
  11. race — the arms race
  12. root — of a word
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — to tire
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. date — the fruit
  19. current — of water
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cold — not warm
  24. race — humankind

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