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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: swing · branch · net · wax · pit · prune · fine · degree

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. prune — to trim
  3. branch — a division
  4. net — for catching
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. degree — from a university
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pit — in a race
  11. degree — temperature
  12. swing — music
  13. pit — a hole
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. net — in sport
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. wax — to grow
  18. swing — in golf
  19. prune — to trim
  20. degree — an amount
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. fine — all right
  23. net — after costs
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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