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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: wax · race · content · suit · swing · leaves · tube · deal

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. deal — to handle
  8. content — happy
  9. suit — in cards
  10. swing — to play on
  11. content — the amount
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. suit — to fit
  14. race — humankind
  15. swing — in golf
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — a contest
  19. wax — to grow
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. tube — a container
  23. swing — music
  24. suit — clothes

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