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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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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: wake · saw · field · chip · wax · game · jam · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. saw — the tool
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. field — a subject
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. wax — to grow
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — for betting
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. field — for sport
  19. chip — to eat
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — a trail
  22. saw — the tool
  23. game — a match
  24. field — farmland

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