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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: pop · mug · sharp · wound · wax · march · spell · ground

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. sharp — clever
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. mug — a cup
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. march — the month
  8. ground — a position
  9. pop — music
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ground — crushed
  13. march — the month
  14. mug — a face
  15. spell — letters
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — soda
  19. mug — to rob
  20. wax — to grow
  21. spell — a short time
  22. march — music
  23. wound — an injury
  24. spell — magic

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