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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 116 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: wave · swing · wound · wax · squash · straw

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. swing — music
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wax — to grow
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. swing — in golf
  10. squash — to crush
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wound — an injury
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. squash — the sport
  18. swing — to play on

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