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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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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: chip · bound · present · rule · wind · staff · content · tube

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. chip — for betting
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — there
  5. content — happy
  6. staff — employees
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wind — moving air
  9. present — the time now
  10. rule — a law
  11. bound — certain
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bound — tied together
  14. chip — to eat
  15. tube — the underground
  16. staff — employees
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. rule — government
  19. tube — a container
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. content — the amount
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. rule — to rule out

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