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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: rash · nail · track · bat · hand · saw · fall · bound

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. rash — a series
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. fall — to drop
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. track — a path
  11. bound — obliged
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bat — the animal
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bound — certain
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rash — hasty
  18. fall — to drop
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fall — the season
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bound — tied together
  24. saw — the tool

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