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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: chip · rule · band · tear · leaves · wind · ground · mark

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. ground — crushed
  6. chip — to eat
  7. band — a ring
  8. mark — a trace
  9. tear — from crying
  10. band — a music group
  11. rule — government
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. rule — a law
  14. wind — moving air
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wind — moving air
  17. ground — a position
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. tear — to rip
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. ground — the earth
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. chip — for betting
  24. leaves — to go away

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