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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 116 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: straw · scale · squash · ruler · wind · staff · cell · stick

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. squash — to crush
  3. cell — in biology
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. wind — moving air
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — size or range
  13. cell — a phone
  14. staff — employees
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. staff — employees
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. staff — a stick
  22. wind — moving air
  23. straw — a straw man
  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