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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · plane · chip · dip · fork · capital · branch · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — to eat
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. capital — money
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. clip — a video
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. dip — to sink
  12. clip — to cut
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. fork — in a road
  18. plane — a tool
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. branch — a division
  21. capital — a city
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. clip — for paper

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