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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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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: deal · game · branch · degree · prune · bowl · wave · pitch

  1. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — temperature
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. prune — to trim
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. degree — from a university
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. game — a match
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. deal — to handle
  14. prune — to trim
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. degree — an amount
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. pitch — completely

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