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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: suit · content · field · ball · wax · snap · wake · fan

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. ball — a great time
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. content — happy
  8. suit — clothes
  9. snap — to click
  10. field — a subject
  11. suit — in cards
  12. ball — a dance
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wax — to grow
  19. suit — to fit
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. content — the amount
  22. field — for sport
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. field — farmland

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