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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 120 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: wax · chip · mine · season · club · craft · bark · firm

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. mine — for digging
  3. firm — steady
  4. season — of the year
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. club — a group
  7. wax — to grow
  8. craft — a skill
  9. firm — decided
  10. chip — to eat
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. firm — a company
  15. season — in sport
  16. craft — boats
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. club — for golf
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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