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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: season · hand · chip · content · temple · wax · prune · branch

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. chip — for betting
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. prune — to trim
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wax — to grow
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. hand — help
  11. prune — to trim
  12. chip — to eat
  13. content — happy
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. branch — a division
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. temple — a place of worship

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