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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 116 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: branch · pop · cell · squash · pitch · season · wax · scale

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pop — to visit
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. cell — in biology
  6. season — of the year
  7. pitch — completely
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. season — in sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. scale — size or range
  13. squash — to crush
  14. scale — in music
  15. squash — the sport
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. cell — a phone
  18. branch — a division
  19. pop — music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. pop — soda
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. branch — of a bank

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