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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: squash · ground · rush · root · wax · track · race · current

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. squash — the sport
  8. rush — hurry
  9. root — of a word
  10. current — of water
  11. race — the arms race
  12. wax — to grow
  13. current — electric
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. race — humankind
  17. ground — the earth
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a plant
  21. race — a contest
  22. ground — a position
  23. squash — to crush
  24. ground — crushed

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