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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: wave · bay · snap · swing · can · chip · pound · land

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. chip — to eat
  8. land — a country
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. swing — in golf
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. chip — for betting
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. swing — music
  21. land — ground
  22. swing — to play on
  23. pound — a weight
  24. land — to come down

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