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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: last · wax · board · rock · race · root · clip · squash

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. race — a contest
  3. squash — the sport
  4. last — finally
  5. race — the arms race
  6. root — the cause
  7. rock — music
  8. board — to get on
  9. root — of a word
  10. board — a committee
  11. rock — a stone
  12. root — of a plant
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. clip — to cut
  17. last — to go on
  18. race — humankind
  19. clip — for paper
  20. last — final
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. squash — to crush

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