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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: land · chip · dip · stem · board · hide · plane · jam

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. chip — for betting
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. chip — to eat
  12. plane — a tool
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. board — to get on
  15. land — a country
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. dip — to sink
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. stem — to come from

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