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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: nail · ruler · swing · hide · wind · drill

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. swing — to play on
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wind — moving air
  9. swing — music
  10. drill — a practice
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wind — moving air
  13. drill — the tool
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. drill — army training
  18. wind — to turn a key

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