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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: can · content · bay · fall · net · wave · scale · lash

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. fall — to drop
  3. can — a tin
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. can — a tin
  7. net — after costs
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. content — the amount
  10. scale — in music
  11. can — to be able to
  12. fall — the season
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. net — in sport
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. fall — to drop
  20. net — for catching
  21. scale — size or range
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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