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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: field · race · date · pit · bore · rush · wax · snap

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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. field — for sport
  4. wax — to grow
  5. snap — to click
  6. field — a subject
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bore — to tire
  10. race — a contest
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bore — to drill
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. field — farmland
  18. pit — in a race
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. date — on the calendar

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