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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: scale · bore · nail · saw · tear · clip · chip · ruler

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bore — to drill
  5. tear — from crying
  6. clip — a video
  7. tear — to rip
  8. saw — the tool
  9. tear — from crying
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. scale — size or range
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bore — to tire
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. clip — to cut
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. clip — for paper

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