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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.

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: scale · pass · lie · pop · race · stock · wax · cell

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — music
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. lie — to recline
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — in music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. cell — a phone
  16. wax — to grow
  17. race — the arms race
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. race — a contest
  20. cell — in biology
  21. stock — goods
  22. race — humankind
  23. pass — a permit
  24. stock — a soup base

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