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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: chair · sharp · branch · chip · season · trunk · spell · object

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. chip — to eat
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. object — a thing
  7. spell — letters
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. object — an aim
  10. sharp — clever
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. spell — magic
  14. chair — a leader
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. season — of the year
  20. object — to protest
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. season — in sport
  24. spell — a short time

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