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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pound · ruler · tear · mine · pitcher · nail · tube · sharp

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. tear — from crying
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. tear — to rip
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. sharp — clever
  20. tube — a container
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. tear — from crying
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pound — for dogs

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