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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: wax · bound · cold · court · key · mark · ground · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bound — certain
  3. ground — a position
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. ground — the earth
  7. court — for sport
  8. mark — a trace
  9. key — the most important part
  10. court — of a king
  11. key — for a lock
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. court — of law
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cold — an illness
  17. mark — a grade
  18. ground — crushed
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bound — tied together
  21. key — in music
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — of a river

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