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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: wound · ground · kick · swing · pop · track · wave · foot

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — a position
  3. foot — a measure
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. swing — music
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. pop — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. track — a path
  16. wound — an injury
  17. track — a song
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. swing — in golf
  20. pop — soda
  21. kick — in football
  22. wound — an injury
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pop — to visit

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