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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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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: nail · clip · track · tear · cold · ruler · cabinet · object

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. clip — a video
  4. track — a path
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. tear — to rip
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. clip — to cut
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. object — an aim
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. track — a song
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. object — a thing
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. tear — from crying
  19. object — to protest
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. clip — for paper
  22. cold — not warm
  23. track — to keep track
  24. ruler — for measuring

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