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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 120 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 · content · arm · court · bulb · tube · can

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bulb — for light
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. swing — music
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. court — of a king
  8. content — the amount
  9. bulb — for light
  10. court — for sport
  11. wax — to grow
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. tube — a container
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. court — of law
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. can — a tin
  24. tube — the underground

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