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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: rest · row · tear · wind · chip · fall

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. row — a line
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. fall — the season
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rest — a break
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chip — to eat
  12. tear — to rip
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rest — what's left
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. tear — from crying

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