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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 · field · wind · board · charge · present · clip · bank

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. chip — to eat
  4. charge — in control
  5. board — to get on
  6. field — a subject
  7. board — a committee
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. charge — a price
  10. clip — for paper
  11. present — there
  12. chip — for betting
  13. present — a gift
  14. bank — of a river
  15. field — for sport
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. charge — electricity
  19. present — the time now
  20. field — farmland
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — for money
  23. clip — a video
  24. wind — to turn a key

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