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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: ruler · prune · chest · scale · race · wake · court · squash

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. wake — a trail
  3. race — humankind
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. chest — a box
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chest — of your body
  9. race — the arms race
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. prune — to trim
  14. squash — the sport
  15. scale — size or range
  16. squash — to crush
  17. race — a contest
  18. chest — of your body
  19. court — of law
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — for sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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