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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: band · chair · chip · press · wind · ground · wound · fan

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. band — a ring
  3. press — to push
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. band — a music group
  8. wind — moving air
  9. press — newspapers
  10. chip — for betting
  11. ground — a position
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. ground — the earth
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chip — to eat
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ground — crushed
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. press — a publisher
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. chair — a leader

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