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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 116 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: wax · root · can · last · bound · game · season · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — humankind
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. can — a tin
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. root — of a plant
  9. wax — to grow
  10. last — to go on
  11. can — to be able to
  12. last — finally
  13. race — a contest
  14. bound — obliged
  15. season — of the year
  16. bound — tied together
  17. season — in sport
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. root — of a word
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. last — final
  22. bound — certain
  23. root — the cause
  24. can — a tin

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