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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: key · chair · wound · wake · staff · squash · lash · ruler

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. key — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. wound — an injury
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wake — a trail
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. chair — a leader
  16. staff — employees
  17. key — the most important part
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. staff — employees
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. squash — to crush

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