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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.

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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: ball · branch · clip · bank · wax · pitch

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. ball — a great time
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. branch — a division
  14. bank — for money
  15. clip — to cut
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bank — for money
  18. pitch — completely

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