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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: wound · wax · swing · lean · lash · spell · bowl · race

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. spell — magic
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. swing — music
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — a contest
  10. lean — thin
  11. swing — to play on
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. wax — to grow
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. race — humankind
  23. spell — letters
  24. wax — for sculpting

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