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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 120 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: ruler · mug · rash · scale · wind · squash · bark · cell

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. rash — a series
  3. bark — to shout
  4. wind — moving air
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. squash — the sport
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. squash — to crush
  16. cell — in biology
  17. mug — a face
  18. cell — a phone
  19. rash — hasty
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wind — moving air
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — for weighing

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