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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · safe · branch · band · ground · capital · key · wax

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. band — a ring
  3. capital — money
  4. ground — a position
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — the earth
  10. branch — a division
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cold — not warm
  13. key — in music
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. band — a music group
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. wax — to grow
  21. cold — an illness
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. capital — a city
  24. wax — for sculpting

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