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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: bank · last · march · chip · wax · charge · branch · hand

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. charge — electricity
  5. last — to go on
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. chip — to eat
  8. march — music
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bank — for money
  11. charge — in control
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bank — of a river
  14. hand — help
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. charge — a price
  17. last — finally
  18. chip — for betting
  19. last — final
  20. wax — to grow
  21. branch — a division
  22. bank — for money
  23. march — the month
  24. hand — in cards

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