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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.

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: branch · saw · degree · pitch · rest · mark · patient · bass

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. saw — the tool
  3. branch — a division
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — low music
  7. saw — the tool
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. degree — an amount
  10. rest — a break
  11. pitch — completely
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. mark — a grade
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. degree — temperature
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. degree — from a university
  23. mark — a trace
  24. bass — the instrument

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