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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: file · deal · wax · court · branch · saw · chip · bear

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bear — the animal
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. chip — for betting
  16. bear — the animal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. court — of a king
  19. file — a tool
  20. branch — a division
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wax — to grow
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a line of people

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