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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: wax · wound · face · mouse · arm · pass · swing · court

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  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. wax — to grow
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. swing — in golf
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. swing — music
  9. face — to point toward
  10. wound — an injury
  11. court — for sport
  12. swing — to play on
  13. face — part of the head
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pass — a permit
  16. face — to confront
  17. court — of law
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. court — of a king
  23. arm — part of the body
  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