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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: board · straw · wax · march · chip · branch · game · cue

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. chip — to eat
  4. march — music
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. march — the month
  8. wax — to grow
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — to get on
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. cue — a hint
  15. march — the month
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. game — a match
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cue — for pool
  22. game — wild animals
  23. chip — for betting
  24. cue — a signal

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