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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 · wound · wax · tear · board · plane · perch · dip

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. wound — an injury
  5. dip — to sink
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wound — an injury
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. chip — for betting
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. perch — the fish
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. plane — a tool
  20. chip — to eat
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wax — to grow
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. board — to get on

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