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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: wind · race · bound · file · branch · wax · foot · ground

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. ground — the earth
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wax — to grow
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. foot — a measure
  10. race — humankind
  11. branch — a division
  12. file — a tool
  13. race — the arms race
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. race — a contest
  16. ground — a position
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. file — a line of people
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. ground — crushed
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bound — obliged
  24. wax — for sculpting

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