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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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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: cap · mark · jam · firm · swing · sharp · wax · wound

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. firm — decided
  3. cap — a hat
  4. swing — to play on
  5. mark — a trace
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. sharp — clever
  11. firm — a company
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. cap — a lid
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wound — an injury
  18. firm — steady
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cap — of ice
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  24. mark — a grade

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