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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: bulb · saw · season · degree · pitcher · branch · sharp · mouse

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. branch — a division
  5. degree — temperature
  6. sharp — clever
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. season — in sport
  14. degree — an amount
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. degree — from a university
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bulb — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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