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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: plane · wind · lean · wake · bowl · board · track · chip

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. board — to get on
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. lean — to bend
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. chip — to eat
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wake — a trail
  18. plane — a tool
  19. track — a path
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. track — a song
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. board — a committee
  24. wind — moving air

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