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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: mate · fine · coach · branch · swing · pitcher · degree · band

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. swing — to play on
  3. degree — from a university
  4. degree — temperature
  5. swing — in golf
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. swing — music
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. band — a ring
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. band — a music group
  19. mate — a partner
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. degree — an amount
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. branch — a division
  24. coach — a trainer

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