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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
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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: wake · cabinet · staff · ruler · pitcher · row · tear · wave

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. staff — employees
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. staff — employees
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. row — to paddle
  19. wake — a trail
  20. row — a line
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. staff — a stick
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. tear — from crying

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