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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: bear · leaves · bound · rash · land · court · mouse · key

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. court — for sport
  5. rash — hasty
  6. court — of a king
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rash — a series
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. court — of law
  13. key — in music
  14. bound — tied together
  15. land — to come down
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — the most important part
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bear — the animal
  24. leaves — lets stay

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