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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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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: net · land · toast · squash · tear · mouse · stick · ruler

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. tear — from crying
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. land — to come down
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. tear — to rip
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — bread
  14. land — ground
  15. net — in sport
  16. land — a country
  17. squash — the sport
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. net — after costs
  21. squash — to crush
  22. net — for catching
  23. toast — the most admired
  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