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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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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: bark · last · cap · jam · branch · season · chip · wax

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. season — of the year
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. cap — of ice
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. cap — a hat
  10. season — in sport
  11. last — final
  12. chip — for betting
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. last — to go on
  15. branch — a division
  16. wax — to grow
  17. chip — to eat
  18. last — finally
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. cap — a lid
  24. jam — a tight spot

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