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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: pass · stick · racket · wax · wound · fall · pound · ground

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. wound — an injury
  2. wax — to grow
  3. ground — a position
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pound — a weight
  8. fall — to drop
  9. ground — crushed
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pass — a permit
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. wound — an injury
  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