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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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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: straw · foot · wax · wind · land · snap · swing · lean

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. lean — thin
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. lean — to bend
  8. swing — music
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. land — ground
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wax — to grow
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. snap — to click
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. land — a country
  20. swing — in golf
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wind — moving air
  23. swing — to play on
  24. land — to come down

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