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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 · mark · wind · lie · bank · mate · key · content

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. key — in music
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bank — for money
  11. mate — to breed
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — to grow
  15. content — the amount
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mate — a friend
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bank — of a river
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bank — for money
  23. content — happy
  24. mark — a trace

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