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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: band · press · stick · chip · face · can · hide · wind

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. chip — to eat
  5. press — newspapers
  6. face — to confront
  7. can — to be able to
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. can — a tin
  10. chip — for betting
  11. can — a tin
  12. press — to push
  13. band — a music group
  14. face — to point toward
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. wind — moving air
  18. band — a ring
  19. face — part of the head
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. press — a publisher
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. band — a rubber band

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