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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: cabinet · root · tear · rush · ball · current · pop · race

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. race — humankind
  3. rush — hurry
  4. pop — music
  5. tear — from crying
  6. current — of water
  7. ball — a dance
  8. current — electric
  9. race — the arms race
  10. root — of a plant
  11. race — a contest
  12. ball — a great time
  13. current — happening now
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pop — to visit
  17. root — of a word
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pop — soda
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. root — the cause
  24. ball — a round shape

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