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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: pound · swing · pop · ground · vault · wind · sharp · wax

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. ground — the earth
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. wind — moving air
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. pop — music
  13. swing — music
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pound — a weight
  19. vault — a safe
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — crushed
  22. swing — to play on
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. wax — in the ear

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