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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: scale · deal · mug · mine · wax · field · race · branch

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. field — a subject
  5. wax — to grow
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. mug — a cup
  9. branch — a division
  10. field — for sport
  11. deal — to handle
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mine — for digging
  14. field — farmland
  15. scale — in music
  16. mug — to rob
  17. race — the arms race
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. race — humankind
  22. mug — a face
  23. scale — size or range
  24. mine — belonging to me

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