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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: mouse · pitch · wax · branch · degree · spell · bowl · field

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — a division
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. degree — from a university
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — farmland
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. spell — magic
  13. degree — temperature
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. degree — an amount
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. field — for sport
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. wax — in the ear

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