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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 116 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: snap · wax · swing · court · sharp · racket · chip · branch

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. chip — for betting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. branch — a division
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wax — to grow
  7. court — for sport
  8. swing — in golf
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. sharp — clever
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. court — of law
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. swing — to play on
  17. court — of a king
  18. chip — to eat
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. swing — music
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. snap — to click

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