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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 116 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: wax · swing · board · kick · content · tear

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. kick — in football
  5. board — to get on
  6. content — the amount
  7. swing — music
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. swing — in golf
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. board — a committee
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. swing — to play on
  15. content — happy
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. tear — from crying

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