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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: wax · stick · board · march · season · can · branch · chair

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. branch — a division
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. can — to be able to
  9. chair — a leader
  10. march — music
  11. board — a committee
  12. wax — to grow
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. can — a tin
  15. season — in sport
  16. march — the month
  17. can — a tin
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. season — of the year
  21. march — the month
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. board — to get on
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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