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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 116 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: ruler · tear · chip · kid · wind · nail

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. tear — from crying
  4. chip — to eat
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. tear — to rip
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. chip — for betting
  10. kid — to tease
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wind — moving air

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