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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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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: present · nail · march · clip · wax · deal · ruler · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. clip — a video
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. clip — to cut
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. clip — for paper
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wax — to grow
  15. tear — to rip
  16. present — the time now
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — there
  20. deal — to handle
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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