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

Word bank: wave · row · wind · mate · tear · scale · foot · ruler

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. tear — to rip
  4. wind — moving air
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — to paddle
  7. scale — size or range
  8. tear — from crying
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. row — a line
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a friend
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. mate — a partner
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. ruler — for measuring

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