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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: last · march · content · object · scale · lash · chair · wax

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wax — to grow
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. last — final
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. last — to go on
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. march — the month
  14. content — happy
  15. content — the amount
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — an aim
  18. chair — a leader
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. object — a thing
  21. scale — in music
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. scale — size or range
  24. lash — to lash out

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