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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.

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: leaves · swing · pound · wax · foot · track · sharp · content

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pound — a weight
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. wax — to grow
  9. track — to keep track
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — to play on
  14. content — the amount
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. foot — a measure
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. track — a path
  19. content — happy
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. track — a song
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. sharp — clever

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