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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: wave · shower · cabinet · squash · scale · root · lie · ruler

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. shower — to wash
  4. squash — the sport
  5. root — the cause
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. root — of a word
  8. lie — to recline
  9. squash — to crush
  10. scale — in music
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. shower — rain
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. root — of a plant
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. scale — size or range
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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