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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: lash · wax · content · clip · scale · bass · stock · sharp

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. clip — for paper
  5. bass — low music
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bass — the fish
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — happy
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. stock — shares
  13. scale — size or range
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. stock — goods
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. clip — a video
  22. scale — in music
  23. clip — to cut
  24. scale — for weighing

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