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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: race · drill · ground · bank · wax · date · row · rash

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. rash — a series
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. row — a line
  5. ground — crushed
  6. drill — the tool
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. race — the arms race
  11. ground — a position
  12. drill — army training
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bank — for money
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bank — for money
  20. race — humankind
  21. drill — a practice
  22. ground — the earth
  23. race — a contest
  24. row — to paddle

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