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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: stock · rash · branch · face · chip · wax · wave · hide

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. face — to confront
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wax — to grow
  6. face — part of the head
  7. chip — for betting
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. stock — goods
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. face — to point toward
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stock — shares
  16. chip — to eat
  17. rash — a series
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. branch — a division
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. branch — of a bank

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