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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: wake · club · pound · bound · row · wax · scale · dip

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. scale — size or range
  5. pound — a weight
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. row — a line
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. club — for dancing
  11. bound — tied together
  12. wax — to grow
  13. scale — in music
  14. bound — certain
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. club — a group
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bound — obliged
  20. club — for golf
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. wake — a trail
  24. row — a quarrel

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