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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. perch — the fish
  4. rush — hurry
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. tear — to rip
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. staff — employees
  11. tear — from crying
  12. chip — for betting
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. chip — to eat
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wax — to grow
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. staff — a stick
  24. rush — to hurry

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