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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: wake · toast · chip · band · branch · wax · foot · clip

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. chip — to eat
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wax — to grow
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. chip — for betting
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. band — a music group
  20. clip — a video
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. band — a ring
  24. toast — bread

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