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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 120 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: wax · racket · fall · track · content · root · bowl · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. root — of a word
  5. content — happy
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. race — humankind
  8. track — to keep track
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. track — a song
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. content — the amount
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. track — a path
  17. fall — the season
  18. root — of a plant
  19. race — the arms race
  20. wax — to grow
  21. root — the cause
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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