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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: ground · wax · band · branch · rush · foot · race · leaves

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. race — a contest
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. band — a ring
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. ground — crushed
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. ground — the earth
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. band — a music group
  19. branch — a division
  20. foot — a measure
  21. ground — a position
  22. race — the arms race
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. wax — in the ear

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