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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 120 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: wake · race · root · net · pitch · wax · mouse · prune

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. net — after costs
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. root — the cause
  5. race — the arms race
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. net — for catching
  11. root — of a plant
  12. race — a contest
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pitch — completely
  16. root — of a word
  17. wax — to grow
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. race — humankind
  20. net — in sport
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wake — a trail

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