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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: mate · bass · jam · date · chip · wax · branch · craft

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bass — the fish
  4. craft — a skill
  5. mate — a partner
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. chip — for betting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. chip — to eat
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bass — low music
  17. mate — a friend
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. mate — to breed
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. date — the fruit

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