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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: bowl · temple · branch · mouse · wax · pitch · current · swing

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. current — electric
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. branch — a division
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. swing — music
  11. current — happening now
  12. swing — to play on
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. current — of water
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. swing — in golf
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. wax — to grow
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — completely

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