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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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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: chip · wind · present · tear · lie · board

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — there
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. board — a committee
  6. tear — from crying
  7. chip — for betting
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. lie — to recline
  11. tear — to rip
  12. board — to get on
  13. chip — to eat
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. wind — moving air
  17. tear — from crying
  18. present — a gift

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