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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: wave · branch · spring · fork · ball · trunk · field · degree

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. branch — a division
  3. field — for sport
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. spring — the season
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. field — farmland
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. spring — of water
  13. fork — in a road
  14. degree — from a university
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. ball — a great time
  20. degree — an amount
  21. field — a subject
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. degree — temperature
  24. ball — a dance

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