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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: pass · snap · tear · band · chip · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. band — a music group
  3. snap — to click
  4. band — a ring
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. pass — a permit
  12. tear — from crying
  13. chip — for betting
  14. tear — from crying
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wind — moving air

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