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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: tear · bat · nail · cell · track · craft · perch · ruler

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. tear — from crying
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. track — a song
  10. craft — a skill
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. track — to keep track
  13. tear — from crying
  14. perch — the fish
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. tear — to rip
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. cell — a phone
  20. track — a path
  21. cell — in biology
  22. craft — boats
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bat — in an idiom

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