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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 120 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: row · drill · ruler · clip · object · stock · nail · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. object — an aim
  5. clip — for paper
  6. drill — the tool
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. wound — an injury
  10. drill — a practice
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. row — a line
  13. drill — army training
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. row — to paddle
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stock — goods
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — to protest
  24. stock — shares

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