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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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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: spell · face · race · racket · wax · pound · branch · clip

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. clip — to cut
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. face — to point toward
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. face — part of the head
  11. clip — a video
  12. wax — to grow
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. clip — for paper
  19. face — to confront
  20. spell — letters
  21. race — a contest
  22. branch — a division
  23. race — the arms race
  24. branch — of a tree

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