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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 · capital · track

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

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. track — a song
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. wound — an injury
  10. capital — money
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. squash — the sport
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. squash — to crush
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wax — to grow
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. capital — a city
  24. swing — in golf

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