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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: squash · wax · ball · rule · ruler · tear · cabinet · cue

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. ball — a great time
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cue — a hint
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. tear — from crying
  11. ball — a dance
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. tear — to rip
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. squash — the sport
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — government
  21. wax — to grow
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ruler — a monarch

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