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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: wax · toast · bore · cabinet · root · race · season · kick

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. wax — to grow
  3. season — in sport
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. toast — bread
  9. race — humankind
  10. root — of a plant
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. root — of a word
  13. kick — in football
  14. season — of the year
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. race — a contest
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. root — the cause
  23. bore — to tire
  24. toast — the most admired

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