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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 120 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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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: wind · wax · club · pound · face · pop · fine · straw

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fine — high quality
  4. face — to point toward
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. face — part of the head
  7. club — for golf
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pop — music
  11. club — a group
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. club — for dancing
  16. pop — soda
  17. pound — a weight
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. fine — all right
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. face — to confront

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