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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: board · plane · chair · ball · chip · spell · stem · wax

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chip — to eat
  5. board — to get on
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. spell — letters
  8. ball — a dance
  9. plane — a tool
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. stem — to come from
  13. board — a committee
  14. spell — a short time
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. spell — magic
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. wax — to grow
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. ball — a great time

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