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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: wax · mark · sharp · pound · wound · pop · chair · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. mark — a grade
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pop — soda
  9. mark — a trace
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. chair — a leader
  12. pound — a weight
  13. squash — the sport
  14. pop — music
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. pop — to visit
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mark — to pay attention

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