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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: wax · deal · capital · chair · snap · patient · sharp · branch

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wax — to grow
  12. branch — a division
  13. chair — a leader
  14. deal — to handle
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. sharp — clever
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. chair — a professorship

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