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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: tube · degree · scale · wax · branch · temple · coach · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. scale — in music
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. degree — from a university
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. degree — an amount
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. field — for sport
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. field — a subject
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. degree — temperature
  22. branch — a division
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. scale — size or range

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