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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: wind · mark · lie · cap · chip · scale · mine · rash

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. lie — to recline
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rash — hasty
  6. mark — a grade
  7. scale — size or range
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mark — a trace
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. chip — to eat
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — a lid
  20. rash — a series
  21. scale — in music
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. lie — an untruth

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