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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: spell · deal · bear · wax · field · pitch · race · branch

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. branch — a division
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. field — farmland
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. race — humankind
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. spell — magic
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. field — a subject
  17. deal — to handle
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. race — a contest
  21. pitch — completely
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — letters

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