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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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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: wax · swing · sharp · bound · perch · rest · rock · wind

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. sharp — clever
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bound — tied together
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — in golf
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rest — a break
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — a stone
  19. swing — music
  20. rest — what's left
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. wax — to grow
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bound — certain

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