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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: board · clip · wind · pass · wave · fall · face · roll

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. fall — the season
  4. clip — for paper
  5. face — part of the head
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. fall — to drop
  8. face — to point toward
  9. board — to get on
  10. clip — a video
  11. wind — moving air
  12. clip — to cut
  13. face — to confront
  14. roll — a cake
  15. board — a committee
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. fall — to drop
  20. roll — a list
  21. wind — moving air
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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