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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: row · nail · ruler · leaves · wind · track · band · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. track — a path
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. kid — child
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. track — to keep track
  15. row — to paddle
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. band — a ring
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a music group
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. row — a line
  24. track — a song

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