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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: tear · staff · track · ruler · mouse · hand · rash · field

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. tear — to rip
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — farmland
  9. staff — employees
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. hand — help
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. field — for sport
  15. rash — hasty
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. rash — a series
  18. track — a song
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. track — a path
  21. track — to keep track
  22. hand — in cards
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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