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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: track · hand · ruler · drill · tear · chest · row · object

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. chest — of your body
  3. track — to keep track
  4. chest — a box
  5. row — to paddle
  6. object — to protest
  7. tear — to rip
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. track — a path
  10. chest — of your body
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. row — a line
  13. drill — army training
  14. tear — from crying
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. object — an aim
  17. hand — help
  18. object — a thing
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. tear — from crying
  22. track — a song
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — a practice

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