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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: stem · nail · wax · rock · race · march · roll · game

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. stem — to come from
  4. game — a match
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rock — music
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. march — music
  13. wax — to grow
  14. race — a contest
  15. march — the month
  16. roll — a list
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. race — the arms race
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. race — humankind
  21. rock — a stone
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  24. roll — a cake

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