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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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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: tear · nail · kid · lash · ruler · current · stand · file

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. stand — to bear
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. tear — to rip
  5. file — a tool
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. file — a line of people
  8. kid — child
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. current — happening now
  14. kid — to tease
  15. current — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. tear — from crying
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. ruler — a monarch

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