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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: race · foot · charge · prune · mate · nail · root · wax

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. race — humankind
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. prune — to trim
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — in control
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mate — a friend
  13. root — the cause
  14. charge — electricity
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — a contest
  17. mate — a partner
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. foot — a measure
  20. root — of a plant
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. mate — to breed
  23. root — of a word
  24. wax — to grow

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