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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: chair · hand · rush · branch · wax · fine · chip · craft

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. wax — to grow
  3. hand — in cards
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. fine — all right
  8. craft — a skill
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. hand — help
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — a division
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. rush — hurry
  23. fine — high quality
  24. chip — to eat

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