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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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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: scale · straw · ruler · squash · cue · kid · tear · wave

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. tear — to rip
  3. scale — size or range
  4. tear — from crying
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. squash — to crush
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cue — a signal
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. kid — child
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cue — a hint
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. scale — in music

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