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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · chip · cap · rash · branch · content · bay · spell

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. spell — magic
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. spell — letters
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. cap — of ice
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. cap — a lid
  12. rash — hasty
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. rash — a series
  16. chip — to eat
  17. cap — a hat
  18. branch — a division
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. spell — a short time
  24. wax — to grow

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