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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 120 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: board · cabinet · shower · nail · chip · swing · tear · wake

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. swing — music
  4. board — a committee
  5. wake — a trail
  6. swing — to play on
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. shower — to wash
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. swing — in golf
  12. board — to get on
  13. chip — to eat
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. tear — from crying
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. chip — for betting
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. shower — rain
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. tear — to rip

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