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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · date · face · key · sharp · swing · row · wound

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. date — the fruit
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. face — to point toward
  6. sharp — clever
  7. row — a line
  8. row — to paddle
  9. wound — an injury
  10. swing — music
  11. face — part of the head
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. face — to confront
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. key — in music
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. wound — an injury
  24. key — for a lock

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