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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitch · wax · wake · perch · craft · branch · face · net

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. face — to confront
  3. perch — the fish
  4. net — in sport
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. net — after costs
  9. face — part of the head
  10. craft — boats
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pitch — completely
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wax — to grow
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. craft — a skill
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. face — to point toward
  22. wake — a trail
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. net — for catching

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