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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: swing · ground · band · board · kick · sharp · wave · wax

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. ground — crushed
  5. board — to get on
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. ground — a position
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. board — a committee
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. swing — music
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. kick — in football
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — to play on
  23. band — a music group
  24. ground — the earth

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