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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 116 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: plane · row · bat · drill · chair · chip · wind · stem

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. wind — moving air
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. drill — the tool
  8. chair — a leader
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bat — the animal
  11. drill — a practice
  12. chip — to eat
  13. drill — army training
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. stem — to come from
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — for betting
  19. row — a line
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wind — moving air
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. stem — a stem cell

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