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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: roll · snap · pound · wax · racket · wind · hide · bound

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bound — certain
  3. wind — moving air
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bound — obliged
  10. roll — a cake
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bound — tied together
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. roll — a list
  20. pound — a weight
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wind — moving air

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