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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: suit · wax · row · rock · swing · bound · wound · ground

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. swing — in golf
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. ground — a position
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. suit — to fit
  10. ground — crushed
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. ground — the earth
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. row — to paddle
  15. suit — in cards
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. suit — clothes
  18. rock — a stone
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — certain
  22. rock — music
  23. swing — music
  24. row — a line

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