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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 120 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: spring · wind · board · band · chest · lash · chip · can

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. can — to be able to
  3. board — to get on
  4. wind — moving air
  5. band — a ring
  6. chest — of your body
  7. can — a tin
  8. spring — of water
  9. board — a committee
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wind — moving air
  12. can — a tin
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. spring — the season
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chest — of your body
  22. band — a music group
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chest — a box

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