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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: land · race · wax · firm · chest · plane · key · stock

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. race — humankind
  4. plane — a tool
  5. chest — a box
  6. wax — to grow
  7. land — ground
  8. chest — of your body
  9. key — for a lock
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. key — the most important part
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — steady
  15. key — in music
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. land — a country
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. land — to come down
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. chest — of your body
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. firm — decided
  24. race — a contest

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