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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chair · fork · plane · dip · pound · season · file · wax

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. pound — a weight
  3. chair — a leader
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. file — a document
  7. fork — in a road
  8. plane — a tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. season — of the year
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. file — a tool
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. season — in sport
  21. wax — to grow
  22. dip — to sink
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. file — a line of people

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