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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: root · file · squash · pass · mouse · band · race · wound

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. race — a contest
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a line of people
  8. race — humankind
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. root — the cause
  11. race — the arms race
  12. band — a ring
  13. file — a document
  14. wound — an injury
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. root — of a word
  19. band — a music group
  20. squash — to crush
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pass — a permit

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