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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.

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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 · wax · shower · present · bat · deal · degree · craft

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. bat — the animal
  3. degree — an amount
  4. shower — to wash
  5. branch — a division
  6. craft — boats
  7. present — there
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. present — a gift
  12. degree — from a university
  13. shower — rain
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. deal — to handle
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. degree — temperature
  19. present — the time now
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — to grow
  24. craft — a handicraft

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