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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: branch · perch · wax · capital · pit · track · season · wind

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. track — a path
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pit — in a race
  6. track — to keep track
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. season — of the year
  9. perch — the fish
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. capital — money
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. branch — a division
  15. wax — to grow
  16. capital — a city
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wind — moving air
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. track — a song
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pit — a hole

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