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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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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: wax · bowl · row · squash · fall · ruler · chair · mate

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wax — to grow
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fall — to drop
  10. row — a line
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. fall — the season
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. squash — the sport
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. row — to paddle
  20. chair — a leader
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. mate — to breed

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