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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: race · can · rush · field · row · tear · craft · ruler

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. craft — a skill
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. row — a line
  8. field — for sport
  9. race — humankind
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. row — to paddle
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. tear — to rip
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. craft — boats
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rush — hurry
  21. can — a tin
  22. race — a contest
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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