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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 116 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: hand · pass · patient · board · tear · fall · nail · chip

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. chip — for betting
  3. tear — to rip
  4. board — to get on
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fall — to drop
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. board — a committee
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. chip — to eat
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fall — the season
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pass — a permit
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chip — in a computer

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