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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: pitcher · coach · pop · net · mine · branch · degree · perch

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. degree — temperature
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mine — for digging
  6. net — after costs
  7. pop — to visit
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. degree — an amount
  10. net — for catching
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. degree — from a university
  15. pop — soda
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. branch — a division
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pop — music
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mine — an explosive

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