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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. root — of a word
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. row — a line
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the fish
  14. squash — to crush
  15. root — the cause
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. root — of a plant
  18. squash — the sport
  19. row — to paddle
  20. scale — in music
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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