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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: capital · clip · ground · cabinet · fall · bank · race · arm

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — a contest
  3. ground — the earth
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. capital — a city
  7. bank — of a river
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bank — for money
  10. fall — the season
  11. clip — to cut
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. ground — a position
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. clip — for paper
  16. race — the arms race
  17. capital — money
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. ground — crushed
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bank — for money
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. clip — a video
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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