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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: ground · row · arm · key · net · race · capital · wax

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. capital — money
  3. race — humankind
  4. net — after costs
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. row — to paddle
  7. race — the arms race
  8. key — for a lock
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. capital — a city
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. ground — a position
  14. net — in sport
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. race — a contest
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. net — for catching
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. row — a line
  21. ground — crushed
  22. key — in music
  23. wax — to grow
  24. key — the most important part

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