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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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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: clip · nail · drill · safe · object · tear · ruler · dip

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. clip — for paper
  3. object — a thing
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. clip — to cut
  6. dip — to sink
  7. clip — a video
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. tear — to rip
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. tear — from crying
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. drill — the tool
  16. object — to protest
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. object — an aim
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. drill — a practice
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. drill — army training

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